Challenges the assumption that evaluation should aim for fostering deliberative democracy. A modest effort by an evaluator to contribute to deliberative democracy is defensible, but vigorous political advocacy violates social expectation. (Author/SLD)

Comparison of Britain's Technical and Vocational Education Initiative (TVEI) in the 1980s and General National Vocational Qualifications (GNVQ)in the 1990s shows that both were intended to remedy alleged defects in vocational education. GNVQs ignore teaching/learning theories other than competence. TVEI was not based on explicit theory, but was…

Presents a three-part evaluation schema that provides the framework for describing a methodology that facilitates the evaluation process. Provides details on how to develop and use trainee reaction forms and opinionnaires. Includes sample forms and questionnaires. (Author/JOW)

This monograph identifies, analyzes, and judges 22 evaluation approaches used in program evaluation. Two approaches, labeled psuedoevaluations, are politically oriented and often used to misrepresent a program's value. The remaining 20, judged legitimate, are categorized by their orientations, and rated for their value. (SLD)

Discusses the use of Planned Variation evaluations, evaluations that implement and compare two or more promising variations of an educational or social program. Suggests several advantages for the Planned Variation approach and describes the Planned Variation Cross Validation Model. (SLD)

Evaluations of the reengineering of business processes in three companies examined the relationship with organizational learning and innovation. Understanding and mapping existing processes helped identify weaknesses; skills required to make processes operational were clarified; implementation of the reengineering was facilitated by knowledge of…

Outlines essential features of program theory evaluation and discusses how it has been used to address concerns about inadequacies of performance information systems. Suggests enhancing the usefulness of program evaluation theory by incorporating information about program contexts, defining success criteria and comparisons for judging and…

Suggests that research, development, and evaluation of social and educational programs should routinely be integrated through a planned variation approach that involves the design, implementation, and evaluation of an enhanced, as well as the standard, variation of a program. Compares the planned variation approach to other types of theory-based…

Studied state school counselor certification requirements with respect to program evaluation expectations. Responses of state certification offices show 19 states and the District of Columbia require some form of program evaluation knowledge and skills, but only Colorado and Washington require knowledge of the program evaluation standards…

Methods suggested by research for evaluating training were compared to survey responses from 202 Canadian organizations regarding actual evaluation practices. Most organizations appeared to evaluate at only one or two of Kirkpatrick's four levels. However, this may be appropriate in light of program objectives, type of organization, and purposes…

Reviews 14 studies that focus on the evaluation of the effects of communication training programs for nurses. Results show limited or no effects on nurses' skills, on nurses' behavioral changes in practice, and on patient outcomes. The majority of the studies had a weak design. Experimental research designs should be pursued in future studies.…

Describes the selection of outcome measures used by the Maudsley Family Research team to assess outcomes--across a broad range of developmental dimensions--of permanent placement for children and adolescents. Developed a package of instruments to examine child emotional, cognitive, social, and academic development; attachment; and self-esteem, for…

Describes theoretical frameworks, including two public health models, that can inform the future development of domestic violence prevention strategies. Provides examples of innovative prevention strategies currently being implemented across the United States and discusses results from evaluations. (SLD)

Describes key aspects of an integrative framework that may help evaluators move beyond paradigm wars and the segmentation of evaluation practices. Proposes a scheme for categorizing evaluation methods with four inquiry modes, or clusters of methods: description, classification, causal analysis, and values inquiry. (Author/SLD)

Illustrates the difficulties of managing conflicts among formal standards in codes of ethics and among professional and personal standards through two examples from evaluation practice. The mediation of human judgment reveals an inevitable subjectivity that threatens the credibility of the field. (Author/SLD)