Addressing program fidelity using onsite observations and program provider descriptions of program delivery.
Over the past quarter-century, evaluation researchers have recognized the importance of documenting implementation practices of programs as they are transferred from controlled to real-world settings. As programs become widely disseminated in the general population, there is a tendency for practitioners to alter programs in a manner more conducive to their immediate needs, which may adversely affect program outcomes. The current paper uses findings from an ongoing evaluation of a school-based victimization prevention program to highlight some of the difficulties in maintaining a high degree of fidelity when providing prevention programming in a school-based setting. The results, based on observations of program delivery and program provider descriptions of implementation, allow for the examination of fidelity based on different data collection techniques.
Melde
Chris
C
University of Missouri-St. Louis, USA.
Esbensen
Finn-Aage
FA
Tusinski
Karin
K
D000293:Adolescent; D003479:Curriculum; D006801:Humans; D007604:Juvenile Delinquency / Q000517:prevention & control*; D019370:Observation / Q000379:methods*; D015397:Program Evaluation / Q000379:methods*; D012574:Schools