The relationship between implementation fidelity and educational outcomes in a school-based family support program: development of a model for evaluating multidimensional full-service programs.
There is increasing recognition of the need for evaluations that identify program processes or mediators and assess degree of program implementation rather than focusing solely on outcome evaluation. This paper describes the application of complementary qualitative and quantitative evaluation procedures to assess the degree of implementation of multi-component family support programs for improving educational outcomes for at risk youth, and to assess the relationship between program implementation and outcomes. The qualitative evaluation involved prolonged engagement to identify common program domains or mediators. Using a method called Innovation Configuration Analysis, levels of implementation of program domains were explicated as well as an overall Implementation Fidelity Index. Strong positive relationships were found between overall program implementation and program-level outcomes achieved by student participants.
Kalafat
John
J
Rutgers Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology, 152 Frelinghuysen Road, Piscataway, NJ 08854-8085, USA. kalafat@rci.rutgers.edu
Illback
Robert J
RJ
Sanders
Daniel
D
D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002657:Child Development; D019058:Community Networks / Q000458:organization & administration*; D003159:Community-Institutional Relations; D005190:Family; D006801:Humans; D007629:Kentucky; D017146:Models, Organizational; D009936:Organizational Innovation; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D016730:Program Development; D015397:Program Evaluation / Q000379:methods*; D011588:Psychology, Educational; D036301:Qualitative Research; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012572:School Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D012940:Social Problems; D012944:Social Support; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology*