This article explores the statistical methodologies used in demonstration and effectiveness studies when the treatments are applied across multiple settings. The importance of evaluating and how to evaluate these types of studies are discussed. As an alternative to standard methodology, the authors of this article offer an empirical binomial…

The Children's Health Awareness Project is presented as a case study in using focus groups for gathering sensitive information from children. General focus group techniques and advantages and limitations of the method are described. Recommendations are offered for use of the technique with children when sensitive topics are addressed. (SLD)

Describes a method that uses program participants' compliance with program instructions as a means of classifying participants and in that way obtains a randomized control group for a subset of participants. Illustrates two variations of the method through a large smoking-intervention project. (SLD)

Using data from a sales campaign for the Arizona State lottery, a multiplist strategy of program evaluation is analyzed. Several complementary designs are used within the strategy to help remove threats to internal validity associated with the nonequivalent control group design. (SLD)

Trade-offs are implicit in choosing a subjective or objective method for evaluating social programs. The differences between Bayesian and traditional statistics, decision and cost-benefit analysis, and anthropological and traditional case systems illustrate trade-offs in choosing methods because of limited resources. (SLD)

In an overview of single-case methodology, the potential utility of A-B-A and multiple baseline designs for evaluating social programs is discussed. Validity factors and cost-effectiveness are considered, showing that these designs are viable alternative methods where traditional randomized group designs are infeasible. (Author/CM)

Results of evaluation research studies, even those that are meticulously designed and carefully executed, often are not implemented. This article examines some of the critical factors that mediate between the carrying out of evaluation research and the utilization of findings. To illustrate these factors, two case studies are analyzed. (Author/EGS)

The histories of five multisite, qualitative policy studies were examined to see how much variation in formalization reflected the technical requirements of the research problem, the demands of the federal client, and the preferences of the project team and its professional network. (Author/PN)

Evaluation of decisions incorporating public involvement is an area where views might differ according to the role of the stakeholder. Six general criteria for adequate evaluation of public involvement programs are presented in the context of a case study. (SLD)

During the winter and spring of 2003, the Survey Research Laboratory conducted a survey of residents of the Ida Wells and Madden Park housing developments on Chicago's near-south side. This article reviews existing research findings on using indigenous interviewers and reports the findings about the benefits and challenges of using residents as…

The Maryland Gun Violence Act, enacted into law in 1996, explicitly authorized courts to order batterers to surrender their firearms through civil protective orders. It also vested law enforcement with the explicit authority to remove guns when responding to a domestic violence complaint. In order to assess how these laws were implemented, we…

Focus group findings were compared with survey findings for three studies in which both methods were used. Studies conducted on voluntary sterilization in Guatemala, Honduras, and Zaire with over 2,000 subjects confirm that focus groups yield information similar to that obtained from surveys and are useful in program planning. (SLD)

The outcome evaluation of a Drug-Free Schools and Community Program using a case-study design and pattern-matching logic in elementary schools and high schools is described, including the use of a panel survey and qualitative interviews. The elementary school case matched predicted outcome, but the high school case did not. (SLD)