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. Unsurpassed among human service evaluation texts for bringing clarity to evaluation procedures, Evaluating Practice comes with a free CD-ROM featuring numerous programs, including the innovative SINGWIN program for analyzing data (created by Charles Auerbach, David Schnall, and Heidi Heft Laporte of Yeshiva University), and the CASS and CAAP programs (created by Walter Hudson) for managing cases and scoring scales.
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
