Comments on the use of multiple roles to maximize the utilization of outcome research

This paper is a brief comment on the previous paper (Goering & Wasylenki, 1993) about the use of multiple roles in facilitating the use of outcome results. The commentary recounts some important points from the paper, draws some general conclusions about assuming multiple roles, and emphasizes the importance of functioning as an internal evaluator based on personal experience working in state government and on readings from the evaluation literature.     

Spinning off the developmental cycle: Comments on the utility of a concept in the light of data from Matatiele,Transkei

Recent interest in the effects of labour migration on life in rural labour exporting communities in southern Africa has focused attention on the cyclical sequences of household development as a prism through which to view the links between wages and rural resources. This paper shows that the idea has, at times, been applied inappropriately. The result has been reduced concern with a classical class analysis. One should not however lose sight of such an important perspective.

A focus on the different forms of land tenure obtainingin the Matatiele district of the Transkei is linked with a consideration of a set of personal and household life‐historical sequences. These sequences are shown to be constrained by the material conditions of their existence at different phases of the cycle. A class analysis is thus seen as a necessary underpinning for any analysis using the developmental cycle perspective.     

The use of concept mapping for scale development and validation in evaluation

Evaluators often make key decisions about what content to include when designing new scales. However, without clear conceptual grounding, there is a risk these decisions may compromise the scale's validity. Techniques such as concept mapping are available to evaluators for the specification of conceptual frameworks, but have not been used as a fully integrated part of scale development. As part of a multi-site evaluation of family support programs, we integrated concept mapping with traditional scale-development processes to strengthen the creation of a scale for inclusion in an evaluation instrument. Using concept mapping, we engaged staff and managers in the development of a framework of intended benefits of program participation and used the information to systematically select the scale's content. The psychometric characteristics of the scale were then formally assessed using a sample of program participants. The implications of the approach for supporting construct validity, inclusion of staff and managers, and theory-driven evaluation are discussed.     

Some Brief Comments on the Jaques Amado Debate

Comments on the Jaques–Amado debate seekto show why it is necessary in organization consultancyto understand both the organization role context and theindividual psychoanalytic perspective. Failure to understand both, it is suggested, could doviolence to the person and the organization.     

同伴群体研究的现状评析

“群体社会化发展理论”的提出使得同伴群体研究成为同伴关系研究中的新热点。文章从同伴群体的定义和功能、同伴群体的形成过程、同伴群体规范与组织以及同伴群体的研究方法等方面对同伴群体研究进行了梳理和归纳,并对目前同伴群体研究中存在的问题进行了深入的剖析。