Uncovering Rape: The Watchdog Press and the Limits of Agenda Setting

This article reports the findings of the second in a seriesof field experiments on the agenda-setting effects of news mediainvestigative reports. The authors used a pretest-posttest quasi-experimentaldesign to assess the impact of a newspaper investigative seriesabout rape on a randomly selected group of Chicagoans and apurposive sample of policy makers. Unlike the first study, theseries had a minimal impact on public opinion and policy making,but affected profoundly the subsequent newspaper coverage ofrape.     

Statistical power for nonequivalent pretest-posttest designs. The impact of change-score versus ANCOVA models

Nonequivalent controlled pretest-posttest designs are central to evaluation science, yet no practical and unified approach for estimating power in the two most widely used analytic approaches to these designs exists. This article fills the gap by presenting and comparing useful, unified power formulas for ANCOVA and change-score analyses, indicating the implications of each on sample-size requirements. The authors close with practical recommendations for evaluators. Mathematical details and a simple spreadsheet approach are included in appendices.     

"Roots: The Next Generation"--Who Watched and with What Effect?

Questions about who watched "Roots: The Next Generation," andwith what effect, were addressed through pre- and posttest surveysof two eastern Washington cities. Evidence was obtained suggestingselectivity in the viewership of Roots II: Multivariate analysisrevealed that a general dimension of egalitarianism distinguishedRoots II viewers from nonviewers, even when various personaland demographic variables were controlled. However, tests forinteractions between level of viewing and pretest-posttest providedno evidence to suggest that Roots II had significantly affectedegalitarianism.     

The impact of a hospital based educational program on adolescent attitudes toward drinking and driving.

The High Risk Adolescent Trauma Prevention Program is situated in a teaching hospital setting, where adolescents who are considered to be high risk-takers tour a shock trauma unit. Results from a pretest-posttest longitudinal evaluation design with 351 adolescent participants indicated marked changes in participants attitudes toward driving after drinking, riding with someone who has been drinking and preventing a friend from driving after drinking. These changes in attitudes are still evident, though with some decline in magnitude, after twelve months.     

Thinking Critically

This study evaluated a ten-week course designed for social work field instructors interested in developing a critically reflective approach to field instruction. The course trained participants to think critically about their role in preparing professional social workers. A pretest-posttest nonequivalent comparison group design was utilized. The Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal was used as the measurement instrument. Using t-tests, the findings indicate that the participants significantly increased their overall ability to think critically when compared to the control group. The implications for practicum instruction are addressed.     

Keeping the marines in the field: Results of a field experiment

A package of tools for military managers to implement a program for effective human service activities in the unit was developed and evaluated as a pretest-posttest quasi-experiment with a matched control group. The package was comprised of a set of activities modeled after well-known principles of effective leadership behavior. Several effects of the program on commanders, unit members, and unit absenteeism rates were found, including a 50% reduction in absenteeism. Relevance of the findings to military human service programs, evaluation research, and absenteeism research are discussed.     

Partial Hospitalization Treatment for Clinical Depression

Abstract

This article describes an outcome study evaluating the effectiveness of a partial hospitalization program (PHP) on the treatment of clinically depressed clients. Within the context of a relatively non-intrusive one-group pretest-posttest research design, nine adult clients completed the Generalized Contentment Scale (a measure of non-psychotic depression) at admission to, and discharge from, the PHP. The clients experienced statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvements between admission and discharge from the PHP. This MSW student-conducted program evaluation represents the type of easy-to-conduct outcome studies which are increasingly being called for in today's practice environment.     

Matching anonymous pre-posttests using subject-generated information

Sensitive research issues call for anonymous questionnaires. This makes accurately matching pretests with posttests difficult or impossible. Various subject-generated coding schemes have been developed, but their accuracy has been unknown. This anonymous study, with 745 students, used subject-generated coding to match pretests with posttests. The matching was verified for accuracy with the use of a collateral, anonymous, sticker identification system. The coding system was able to accurately match 75.2% of all the pretest-posttest pairs. An additional 22.1% of the pairs were left unmatched and only 2.7% were matched incorrectly. Subject-generated coding systems can be very effective where confidentiality is important to protect.     

Drug prevention with high risk families and young children

The effects of a school and home-based drug prevention program on risk factors for subsequent alcohol, tobacco, and other drug (ATOD) use among children were studied. Data on parent and child risk factors for ATOD use were collected from fifty-six low-income parents and their children, ages four to six years, using a pretest-posttest design. The parent-child intervention was conducted over a two-month period. The intervention had no effect on parent or child risk factors. However, the program was favorably received by parents and children. Almost two-thirds of the parents at the experimental school were involved in the program. Almost half of the parents had high depressive symptoms. The high rates of ATOD use and depressive symptoms among these parents are cause for concern.     

Suicide prevention in the dot com era: technological aspects of a university suicide prevention program

Western Michigan University's Suicide Prevention Program utilizes multiple technological components, including an online training course, a Web site, and 2 social networking Web site profiles, as integral aspects of a comprehensive program. This article discusses the development, maintenance, use, and impact of the technological aspects of this program, which complement other program activities in meeting program goals. The Web site and use of social networking Web sites have been very well received by members of the university and wider community. Although initial outcomes of each component are positive, low participation in the online training course has limited the usefulness of pretest-posttest comparisons. It is thought that other campus suicide prevention programs may benefit from using technology as a primary method in their suicide prevention programming efforts.     

The Separate and Combined Effects of SIGI or DISCOVER and a Career Planning Course on Undecided University Students

Research to consider the effectiveness of computer-assisted guidance systems (CACG) and credit career planning courses was conducted during the 1988 spring semester at Pennsylvania State University and the University of Virginia. The research methodology included use of a four-group pretest-posttest design at each university. Group treatment conditions using undecided university students were the following: (a) CACG use by students enrolled in a career planning course, (b) students enrolled only in a career planning course without CACG use, (c) CACG use by students enrolled in an introductory business or psychology course, and (d) students enrolled only in an introductory business or psychology course. Participants (N = 112) were in first through fifth semester standing and were assigned randomly to CACG use conditions.     

Research Note—Multiple Time Point Course Evaluation and Student Learning Outcomes in an MSW Course

ABSTRACT

Evaluation methods play a key role in measuring student learning outcomes. Yet traditional assessments focus on assessing student satisfaction with instructors or courses rather than their progress toward competencies. In addition, the common pretest-posttest assessment is problematic because of response-shift bias. Although multiple time point assessment is suggested, very little is known about its application and potential in social work education. This research note examines how student self-assessments of their progress on core competencies in an MSW-level social work course change across three time points (pretest, posttest, retrospective test). The findings suggest that students underrated and overrated their competencies at the pretest. We argue that using multiple time point self-assessment addresses this internal validity threat and should be considered in social work course evaluation.     

An evaluation case: The implementation and evaluation of a problem-solving training program for adolescents

This study recounts the implementation and evaluation of a problem-solving skills training program for adolescents. Sixty-six students from the seventh, eighth, and ninth grades of a local junior high school were identified by guidance counselors as needing problem-solving training—48 male and 18 female students between the ages of 11 and 16. The hypothesis that students included in the training sessions would demonstrate better problem-solving skills, a more internal locus of control, and a higher level of self-esteem than control group students was tested via a pretest-posttest Control Group Design. The results of a stepwise discriminant analysis of the data supported the hypothesis. An analysis of grade level differences indicated that the program had less effect on the seventh-grade training group. Implications for program modification and the limitations of the evaluation findings are discussed.     

How can cooperation between rehabilitation professionals in rehabilitation planning be improved? A qualitative study from the employer's perspective

Research shows that there are often problems with cooperation between rehabilitation professionals within vocational rehabilitation. The aim of this study was to describe employers' experiences of how cooperation between different rehabilitation professionals can be improved in a vocational rehabilitation planning process. Ten employers who had sent their employees to vocational rehabilitation at a rehabilitation centre in the north of Sweden during 2000 and 2001 participated in the study. Qualitative interviews were performed and analysed by thematic content analysis. The employers' cooperation with clients could be improved by a focus on clients' needs and participation in the rehabilitation process. The employers cooperation with Social Insurance companies could be improved by, 1) early prevention and intervention, 2) knowledge of each other's roles, responsibilities and opportunities and 3) priority making. The employers' cooperation with rehabilitation professionals could be improved by, 1) early identification of rehabilitation needs and goals and early rehabilitation and, 2) increased focus on own responsibilities from each part in the process.     

Enclosed versus open nursing stations in adult acute care psychiatric settings: does the design affect the therapeutic milieu?

Specific efforts by hospital accreditation organizations encourage renovation of nursing stations, so nurses can better see, attend, and care for their patients. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of nursing station design on the therapeutic milieu in an adult acute care psychiatric unit. A repeated cross-sectional, pretest-posttest design was used. Data were collected from a convenience sample of 81 patients and 25 nursing staff members who completed the Ward Atmosphere Scale. Pretest data were collected when the unit had an enclosed nursing station, and posttest data were collected after renovations to the unit created an open nursing station. No statistically significant differences were found in patient or staff perceptions of the therapeutic milieu. No increase in aggression toward staff was found, given patients' ease of access to the nursing station. More research is needed about the impact of unit design in acute care psychiatric settings.     

Using peer educators for a classroom-based AIDS program

Frustration over their inability to reach sizable numbers of students for an AIDS education and prevention program, even after employing peer educators, prompted the staff of the SHS to devise a classroom-based program. Sixty-five faculty members gave permission for the presentations, and the students represented a captive audience for the SHS-certified peer educators. Students have given very little indication of resenting this intrusion and have, in fact, been very positive in their response. Our initial evaluation of the first 2 years of the program indicates a need for greater recruitment efforts among students to serve as peer educators and among faculty to participate. It is also evident that we need to refine our evaluative tools, especially in regard to measuring behavioral changes, through use of a pretest-posttest design.     

Intentions and realities in rehabilitation service in Denmark

We used Danish register data on rehabilitation benefits paid from 1994 to 2005. The purpose was to compare actual payments of rehabilitation benefits with intentions in the law. Legally, rehabilitation benefits should be used for providing living expenses during a planned rehabilitation period facilitating the recipients' return to the labor market. We found that one third of recipients were paid for less than 3 months, and half of remaining recipients had time gaps in their payments. The findings indicated that rehabilitation benefits were not paid only for planned rehabilitation periods, and that not all recipients followed the legally required plan.     

Evaluability assessment of a community development leisure program in Spain

This paper presents the results of an evaluability assessment (EA) conducted in Spain. EAs are assessments that minimize the uncertainty and risk inherent in a subsequent evaluation (e.g. an impact or results assessment) that may require excessive resources. We designed our own EA model by combining three theoretical approaches, with a holistic and pedagogic vision of the process and a flexible methodology to enable adaptation to different programs and contexts, thus fostering transferability. The EA was carried using a qualitative methodology: documentary analysis, seven semi-structured interviews with stakeholders, eight direct observation sessions and a check-list for politicians and experts. The outcome report helped promote organizational learning, provided the program with a logical and assessable theoretical model, detected its strengths and helped overcome the barriers to efficient assessment. Based on these achievements, an evaluation of the results was recommended, with repeated pretest-posttest measurements and an equivalent control group.     

Multi-professional vocational rehabilitation group meetings with female clients: a qualitative study

Many women require vocational rehabilitation before they can return to work. The objective with the present study was to describe female clients' situation during the rehabilitation process, as it became apparent during the rehabilitation meetings with the various actors involved. The clients' diagnoses varied, but the majority was affected with musculoskeletal disorders. The meetings were audio-taped and transcribed verbatim, after which they were analysed by qualitative content analysis. The following themes emerged: Adaptation to the rehabilitation group; client's health status; the workplace's significance for rehabilitation; and the client's decision-point. Conflict between health and work was immensely important for rehabilitation. Differences in attitude were apparent during the rehabilitation meetings, as some clients were passive and exercised less influence on the planning, than the other more active clients did.     

Work rehabilitation programs: a 1997 survey

By adapting to the changing health care environment, legislative reforms, and consumer needs, work rehabilitation programs have experienced a metamorphosis. This study surveyed occupational therapists currently employed in work programs to ascertain a current demographic profile of work rehabilitation programs. Respondents indicated the delivery of services in the areas of prevention, assessment and rehabilitation. The majority of work rehabilitation programs in this study provide services in the form of ergonomics, education and training, and job analyses at the worksite. The area of work injury prevention services is forecasted for increased growth among work rehabilitation programs.