Debra J. Rog

Jody L. Fitzpatrick

Ross F. Conner

Context is a force in evaluation. It shapes our practice, influencing how we approach and design our studies, how we carry them out, and how we report our findings. Context also moderates and mediates the outcomes of the programs and policies we evaluate. This issue focuses squarely on the role that context plays in practice and illuminates its effect on the implementation and outcomes of programs. Exploring the ways in which attending to context may improve the quality of evaluation practice, the contributions span theory, methods, and practice in an effort to move to a more comprehensive conceptualization of context that can guide our work. It: Provides an historical and theoretical view of evaluators’ treatment of context Illustrates how context has influenced evaluation practice Presents a five-area framework for guiding a contextual analysis of evaluations Introduces “context assessment,” which provides a means of integrating context and its implications within the important stages of evaluation. This is the 135th volume of the Jossey-Bass quarterly report series New Directions for Evaluation, an official publication of the American Evaluation Association.

New Directions for Evaluation, Number 135

Context: A Framework for Its Influence on Evaluation Practice

Leonard Bickman

Terry Elizabeth Hedrick

To help researchers and students make the transition from the classroom and laboratory to research in the `real world,' the authors reveal the pitfalls and suggest strategies to overcome problems in the design and planning of applied research. With a focus on how to refine research questions as real world events force deviations from the original research plan, they discuss how to study and monitor program implementation and statistical power analysis. They also explore how to assess the human and material resources that will be needed at different times while conducting an applied research design to facilitate the management of data collection, analysis, and interpretation.

A Practical Guide

Applied Research Design

Professor Leonard Bickman

MS Debra J Rog

Rog Debra J

The Handbook of Applied Social Research Methods shows how to make intelligent and conscious decisions so that researchers can refine and hone their research questions as new knowledge is gained, unanticipated obstacles are encountered, or contextual shifts take place - all key elements in the iterative nature of applied research. With examples and illustrations from the authors' own experiences, this book gives readers a practical guide to conducting applied research.

Handbook of Applied Social Research Methods

Debra J. Rog

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