Practical Approaches to Applied Research and Program Evaluation for Helping Professionals

Practical Approaches to Applied Research and Program Evaluation for Helping Professionals
Author: Casey A. Barrio Minton
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 280
Release: 2019-05-01
Genre: Psychology
ISBN: 1351611542

Practical Approaches to Applied Research and Program Evaluation for Helping Professionals is a comprehensive textbook that presents master’s-level counseling students with the skills and knowledge they need to successfully evaluate the effectiveness of mental health services and programs. Each chapter, aligned with 2016 Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) standards, guides counseling students through study design and evaluation fundamentals that will help them understand existing research and develop studies to best assess their own applied research questions. Readers will learn the basics of research concepts as applied to evaluative tasks, the art of matching evaluative methods to questions, specific considerations for practice-based evaluative tasks, and practical statistical options matched to practice-based tasks. Readers can also turn to the book’s companion website to access worksheets for practitioner and student planning exercises, spreadsheets with formulas for basic data analysis, a sample database, PowerPoint outlines , and discussion questions and activities aligned to each chapter.

Handbook of Practical Program Evaluation

Handbook of Practical Program Evaluation
Author: Kathryn E. Newcomer
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Total Pages: 100
Release: 2015-08-06
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1118893697

The leading program evaluation reference, updated with the latest tools and techniques The Handbook of Practical Program Evaluation provides tools for managers and evaluators to address questions about the performance of public and nonprofit programs. Neatly integrating authoritative, high-level information with practicality and readability, this guide gives you the tools and processes you need to analyze your program's operations and outcomes more accurately. This new fourth edition has been thoroughly updated and revised, with new coverage of the latest evaluation methods, including: Culturally responsive evaluation Adopting designs and tools to evaluate multi-service community change programs Using role playing to collect data Using cognitive interviewing to pre-test surveys Coding qualitative data You'll discover robust analysis methods that produce a more accurate picture of program results, and learn how to trace causality back to the source to see how much of the outcome can be directly attributed to the program. Written by award-winning experts at the top of the field, this book also contains contributions from the leading evaluation authorities among academics and practitioners to provide the most comprehensive, up-to-date reference on the topic. Valid and reliable data constitute the bedrock of accurate analysis, and since funding relies more heavily on program analysis than ever before, you cannot afford to rely on weak or outdated methods. This book gives you expert insight and leading edge tools that help you paint a more accurate picture of your program's processes and results, including: Obtaining valid, reliable, and credible performance data Engaging and working with stakeholders to design valuable evaluations and performance monitoring systems Assessing program outcomes and tracing desired outcomes to program activities Providing robust analyses of both quantitative and qualitative data Governmental bodies, foundations, individual donors, and other funding bodies are increasingly demanding information on the use of program funds and program results. The Handbook of Practical Program Evaluation shows you how to collect and present valid and reliable data about programs.

Practical Mapping for Applied Research and Program Evaluation

Practical Mapping for Applied Research and Program Evaluation
Author: Bernadette Wright
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Total Pages: 329
Release: 2019-05-31
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1544323352

Practical Mapping for Applied Research and Program Evaluation is the first book to bring the mapping methodology to social research and program evaluation. Bernadette Wright and Steven E. Wallis guide readers through all phases of the research process: learning from stakeholder experience; reviewing existing knowledge in the field; conducting new data collection such as interviews; collaborating with other researchers; and facilitating the use of knowledge for communication, collaboration, and action. With plenty of illustrations and navigational aids such as “travel tips,” the book is an accessible guide for busy students, researchers, and managers of all levels of experience.

Applied Research Design

Applied Research Design
Author: Terry Elizabeth Hedrick
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Total Pages: 193
Release: 1993-01-11
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1506319440

"The Terry E. Hedrick, Leonard Bickman, and Debra J. Rog text provides a framework for designing research that is adaptable to almost any applied setting and constantly reiterates the need for establishing and maintaining credibility with the client at each level of the research process. Although the applied research book is a practical guide, suitable to accompany any thorough applied design textbook, it does a comprehensive job of presenting the distinction between basic and applied research. It introduces many topics found in the general methodology textbooks. This overlap will help students to feel comfortable in using the general skills in a more specific and complex manner." --Contemporary Psychology "For researchers needing to know how to plan and design applied research projects, Applied Research Design will be a most welcome publication. . . . The writing is clear and concise, graphics are utilized helpfully, and this book will be much appreciated by beginning social scientists who are serious but uncertain about the methodologies possible for doing applied research." --Academic Library Book Review Aimed at helping researchers and students make the transition from the classroom and the laboratory to the "real" world, the authors reveal pitfalls to avoid and strategies to undertake in order to overcome obstacles in the design and planning of applied research. Applied Research Design focuses on refining research questions when actual events force deviations from the original analysis. To accomplish this, the authors discuss how to study and monitor program implementation, statistical power analysis, and how to assess the human and material resources needed to conduct an applied research design to facilitate the management of data collection, analysis, and interpretation. Appropriate for professionals and researchers who have had some previous exposure to research methods, this book will enable the development of research strategies that are credible, useful, and--more important--feasible.

Practical Mapping for Applied Research and Program Evaluation

Practical Mapping for Applied Research and Program Evaluation
Author: Bernadette Wright
Publisher:
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2020
Genre: Mappings (Mathematics)
ISBN: 9781544323367

Practical Mapping for Applied Research and Program Evaluation is the first book to bring the mapping methodology to social research and program evaluation. Bernadette Wright and Steven E. Wallis guide readers through all phases of the research process: learning from stakeholder experience; reviewing existing knowledge in the field; conducting new data collection such as interviews; collaborating with other researchers; and facilitating the use of knowledge for communication, collaboration, and action. With plenty of illustrations and navigational aids such as "travel tips," the book is an accessible guide for busy students, researchers, and managers of all levels of experience.

Counseling and Educational Research

Counseling and Educational Research
Author: Rick A. Houser
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Total Pages: 417
Release: 2019-02-26
Genre: Education
ISBN: 1544305079

Counseling and Educational Research: Evaluation and Application prepares readers to be good consumers and evaluators of research. Using concrete examples from published articles, author Rick A. Houser teaches students to take a systematic approach to evaluating professional literature critically and using it responsibly. The Fourth Edition covers evidence-based research, qualitative methods, program evaluation, and mixed methods; includes new discussions on how national accreditation standards in counseling (CACREP) and education (CAEP) apply to research; and examines how cultural influences can affect the research process.

Program Evaluation Theory and Practice

Program Evaluation Theory and Practice
Author: Donna M. Mertens
Publisher: Guilford Press
Total Pages: 642
Release: 2012-02-20
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1462503241

This engaging text takes an evenhanded approach to major theoretical paradigms in evaluation and builds a bridge from them to evaluation practice. Featuring helpful checklists, procedural steps, provocative questions that invite readers to explore their own theoretical assumptions, and practical exercises, the book provides concrete guidance for conducting large- and small-scale evaluations. Numerous sample studies—many with reflective commentary from the evaluators—reveal the process through which an evaluator incorporates a paradigm into an actual research project. The book shows how theory informs methodological choices (the specifics of planning, implementing, and using evaluations). It offers balanced coverage of quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods approaches. Useful pedagogical features include: *Examples of large- and small-scale evaluations from multiple disciplines. *Beginning-of-chapter reflection questions that set the stage for the material covered. *"Extending your thinking" questions and practical activities that help readers apply particular theoretical paradigms in their own evaluation projects. *Relevant Web links, including pathways to more details about sampling, data collection, and analysis. *Boxes offering a closer look at key evaluation concepts and additional studies. *Checklists for readers to determine if they have followed recommended practice. *A companion website with resources for further learning.

Counseling Assessment and Evaluation

Counseling Assessment and Evaluation
Author: Joshua C. Watson
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Total Pages: 585
Release: 2014-07-24
Genre: Education
ISBN: 1483322165

Designed to help students learn how to assess clients, conduct treatment planning, and evaluate client outcomes, this practical book addresses specific CACREP competencies. Incorporating case studies and examples, authors Joshua C. Watson and Brandé Flamez provide foundational knowledge for sound formal and informal assessments, cover ethical and legal considerations in assessment, describe basic statistical concepts, highlight the domains in which assessments are commonly used (intelligence, aptitude, achievement, personality, career, etc.), and provide strategies for integrating assessment data when working with clients. Counseling Assessment and Evaluation is part of the SAGE Counseling and Professional Identity Series, which targets specific competencies identified by CACREP (Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Programs).

Professional Counseling Excellence through Leadership and Advocacy

Professional Counseling Excellence through Leadership and Advocacy
Author: Catherine Y. Chang
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 380
Release: 2021-11-17
Genre: Psychology
ISBN: 1000469964

Professional Counseling Excellence through Leadership and Advocacy provides readers with the knowledge, skills, and qualities to succeed as leaders and advocates throughout their careers. Edited by leaders in counselor education and endorsed by Chi Sigma Iota, this text places leadership and advocacy in a historical context while strengthening the foundational knowledge and skills counselors need. The new edition integrates the Multicultural and Social Justice Counseling Competencies (MSJCCs) and applies them to a variety of counseling settings at both local and state levels. Chapters also address leadership and design of effective counselor education programs, curricular implications, supervision and consultation, and research directions. The new edition is designed for counselor educators and supervisors and doctoral-level counselor education students who are studying leadership and advocacy as one of five core areas within the 2016 CACREP standards and for master’s level students and practitioners who are growing their leadership and advocacy skills.

Program Evaluation

Program Evaluation
Author: Jody L Fitzpatrick
Publisher: Pearson Education (Us)
Total Pages: 562
Release: 2015-10-08
Genre:
ISBN: 9780137019410

For students studying program evaluation, project planning, or tests and measurements.For professionals new to the field.A highly esteemed and comprehensive overview of program evaluation that covers common approaches, models, and methods.As schools and other organizations increase their demand for information on program effectiveness and outcomes, it has become even more important for students to understand the prevalent approaches and models for evaluation, including approaches based on objectives and logic models, participative, and decision-making approaches. The new tenth edition of Program Evaluation not only covers these vital approaches but also teaches readers how to best mix and match elements of different approaches to conduct optimal evaluation studies for individual programs.Helping both students as well as professionals who are new to the field, this text provides practical guidelines for conducting evaluations, from identifying the questions that the evaluation should address, to determining how to collect and analyze evaluative information, to ascertaining how to provide evaluative information to others. Making extensive use of checklists, examples, and other study aides, Program Evaluation teaches students how to effectively determine the central purpose of their evaluation, thus making their evaluation more valid, more useful, and more efficient.The revised edition of the text includes new approaches to program evaluation, an expanded discussion of logic models, added information on mixed models, and, as always, updated coverage of the most current trends and controversial issues in evaluation."