Proposals satisfy a number of functions in evaluation work. This article examines how these functions differ depending on whether the proposal concerns a preordinate study in which methods are prespecified or an emergent study in which decisions about methods are made as the study proceeds. (Author/SLD)

Weiss' and Patton's competing views concerning the influence of program evaluation on decision-making are critiqued. Patton's approach provides an essential mechanism for achieving desired ends, once they are determined. Weiss' approach supplements that contribution by including not only expert development of means, but also expert selection of…

The four studies reported here are examples of empirical studies of evaluation which inform evaluation theory and practice by investigating beliefs held about the evaluation process. These studies all concern the theme of citizen involvement in education, especially the use of citizen judgments in program evaluation. (BW)

This report provides an illustrative discussion of the nature of a cost-effectiveness study in a higher education setting. It focuses on the cost-effectiveness of two field-based teacher preparation courses taught in a college of education. It is not a comprehensive cost analysis study, but an exploratory review of the dimensions and problems of…

Literature on the generalizability of program effects focuses on the a priori development of evaluation designs which enable certain generalizations to be made. Secondary analysis procedures which can be employed using existing evaluation data to estimate a program's generalizability when follow-up field studies are not feasible are suggested.…