Evaluating Practice: Guidelines for the Accountable Professional

Evaluating Practicecontinues to be the most comprehensive practice evaluation text available.   Focusing on single-system designs, Evaluating Practice, 6/e presents clear guidelines on conceptualizing and measuring problems, developing practice-oriented evaluation designs, understanding and analyzing data, and ethical guidelines for practice evaluation.    This text is unsurpassed among human service evaluation texts for bringing clarity to evaluation procedures.

Table of Contents:
Preface Prologue Part I What Are You Getting Into? 1 Integrating Evaluation and Practice Introduction to Single-System Designs What Are Single-System Designs? Evidence-Based Practice Single-System Designs and Classical Research: The Knowledge-Building Context Single-System Evaluation, Qualitative Research, and Quantitative Research Advantages of Using Single-System Designs in Practice A Walk through the Evaluation Process Summary Part II Conceptualizing and Measuring Targets and Objectives/Goals 2 Basic Principles of Conceptualization and Measurement Introduction What Is Conceptualization? What Is Measurement? Definition as a First Step in Measurement Can Everything Be Measured? Key Characteristics of All Measures Summary 3 Specifying Problems and Goals Introduction: From General Problems to Specific Targets of Intervention Specifying Client Concerns: Identifying and Clarifying Problems and Potentials Specifying Goals and Objectives Using Goal Attainment Scaling (GAS) to Establish Goals Setting Goals in Groups Problems and Issues in Setting Goals Summary 4 Developing a Measurement and Recording Plan Introduction Steps in Developing a Recording Plan Charting: Putting Your Information on Graphs Problem-Oriented Records (POR) Use of Computers in Evaluation and Practice Summary Computer Assisted Social Services (CASS): A User’s Guide Appendix: Installing CASS 5 Behavioral Observation Introduction General Guidelines for Behavioral Observation Sampling Behaviors Instruments for Recording Behaviors Ensuring Accurate Observations Methods of Recording Behavior Analog Situations Recording Behavior in Groups Summary 6 Individualized Rating Scales Introduction Uses of Individualized Rating Scales Constructing and Using Individualized Rating Scales Summary 7 Standardized Scales Introduction What Are Standardized Scales? Selecting a Standardized Scale Administering a Standardized Scale Some Available Standardized Self-Report Scales Some Available Standardized Scales for Practitioners Some Available Standardized Scales for Relevant Others Some Available Standardized Scales for Independent Observers Do-It-Yourself Scales Using Standardized Scales in Groups Computer Management of Standardized Scales Summary Appendix Computer Assisted Assessment Package (CAAP): A User’s Guide 8 Logs Introduction Types of Client Logs Putting Qualitative and Quantitative Information Together Introducing Clients to Logs Practitioner Logs Maximizing and Verifying the Reliability and Validity of Logs Summary 9 Reactivity and Nonreactive Measures Introduction Reactivity of Measures Unobtrusive (Nonreactive) Measures Summary 10 Selecting a Measure Introduction Considerations in Deciding on a Measure Use of Multiple Measures Selecting a Measure Summary Part III Evaluation Designs 11 Basic Principles of Single-System Designs Introduction An Example Connecting Practice and Evaluation Designs Purposes of Single-System Designs Unique Characteristics of Single-System Designs Causality in Single-System Designs External Validity and Generalizability Overview of Single-System Designs Summary 12 Baselining Introduction Purposes of the Baseline Types of Baselines How Long Should Baselining Continue? When Are Baselines Not Necessary? Issues Regarding Baselining Summary 13 From the Case Study to the Basic Single-System Design: A-B Introduction Case Studies or Predesigns Design A-B: The Basic Single-System Design Summary 14 The Experimental Single-System Designs: A-B-A, A-B-A-B, B-A-B Introduction Basic Experimental Designs Summary 15 Multiple Designs for Single Systems Introduction Multiple-Baseline Designs: Across Problems, Clients, or Settings Multiple-Target Designs Variations on Multiple Designs Summary 16 Changing Intensity Designs and Successive Intervention Designs Introduction Changing Intensity Designs: A-B1-B2-B3 Successive Intervention Designs: A-B-C, A-B-A-C, A-B-A-C-A Summary 17 Designs for Comparing Interventions Introduction Alternating Intervention Design: A-B/C-(B or C) Interaction Design: A-B-A-B-BC-B-BC Summary 18 Selecting a Design Introduction Framework for Selecting a Design Needed: A Design for All Seasons Creativity in Single-System Designs: Making Your Own Designs Evaluation in Minimal-Contact Situations Single-System Designs in Managed Care: The Stretch Design Trouble-Shooting: “Okay, I Understand Everything That You Said, but My Case Is Different.” Summary Part IV Analyzing Your Results 19 Basic Principles of Analysis Introduction Distinguishing Effort, Effectiveness, and Efficiency Significance—Practical, Statistical, and Theoretical Evaluating Goal Achievement Issues in Analysis of Data Computer Analysis of Data for Single-System Designs The Issue of Autocorrelation Tools in Analysis of Data Summary 20 Visual Analysis of Single-System Design Data Introduction Definition of Terms Basic Patterns and Implications Visual Inspection of Raw Data Interpreting Ambiguous Patterns Problems of Visual Inspection Creating a Chart with SINGWIN Summary 21 Descriptive Statistics Introduction Measures of Central Tendency Measures of Variation Using Measures of Central Tendency and Variability to Graph Group Data Computing and Graphing Measures of Central Tendency and Variation with SINGWIN Measures of Trend Measures of Effect Size Optimal Uses and Cautions for Specific Descriptive Statistics Summary 22 Tests of Statistical Significance for Single-System Designs Introduction Proportion/Frequency Approach Three-Standard-Deviation-Band Approach (X-Moving-Range-Chart) Chi-Square Conservative Dual-Criteria (CDC) Approach t-Test General Considerations in Using Tests of Statistical Significance Optimal Uses and Cautions for Specific Analytic Procedures Summary 23 Computer Analysis of Single-System Design Data Chapter Overview Starting SINGWIN Exiting SINGWIN Getting the Big Picture Using Specific Procedures Appendix: Installing Singwin Summary 24 Selecting a Procedure for Analyzing Data Introduction Framework for Selecting a Procedure for Analyzing Data Other Statistical Considerations Nonstatistical Considerations Limitations Summary Part V The Challenge of Single-System Designs 25 Not for Practitioners Alone Introduction Special Applications of Single-System Designs Recent Criticisms of Single-System Evaluation For the Client For the Administrator For Educators and Students Summary References Name Index Subject Index