This reissued book is one of the key works that influenced and shaped the contemporary evaluation field. The book developed a new, expanded conception of the validity of evaluation studies, based on broad criteria of truth, beauty, and justice. It also presented a widely-used typology of evaluation approaches and critiqued these approaches with the validity criteria. Its long term influence is demonstrated by the book, (published in 1980) and criteria being prominently featured in the overall theme for the forthcoming American Evaluation Association’s annual conference in November, 2010.

This issue discusses ways of constructing, organizing, and managing arguments for evaluation. Not focued solely on the logic of evaluation or predictive validity, it discusses the various elements needed to construct evaluation arguments that are compelling and influential by virtue of the truth, beauty, and justice they express. Through exposition, original research, critical reflection, and application to case examples, the authors present tools, perspectives, and guides to help evaluators navigate the complex contexts of evaluation in the 21st century. This is the 142nd issue in the New Directions for Evaluation series from Jossey-Bass. It is an official publication of the American Evaluation Association.

This book focuses on methods of choice in program evaluation. Credible methods choice lies in the assumptions we make about the appropriateness and validity of selected methods and the validity of those assumptions. As evaluators make methodological decisions in various stages of the evaluation process, a number of validity questions arise. Yet unexamined assumptions are a risk to useful evaluation. The first edition of this book discussed the formulation of credible methodological arguments and methods of examining validity assumptions. However, previous publications suggest advantages and disadvantages of using various methods and when to use them. Instead, this book analyzes assumptions underlying actual methodological choices in evaluation studies and how these influence evaluation quality. This analysis is the basis of suggested tools. The second edition extends the review of methodological assumptions to the evaluation of humanitarian assistance. While evaluators of humanitarian action apply conventional research methods and standards, they have to adapt these methods to the challenges and constraints of crisis contexts. For example, the urgency and chaos of humanitarian emergencies makes it hard to obtain program documentation; objectives may be unclear, and early plans may quickly become outdated as the context changes or is clarified. The lack of up-to-date baseline data is not uncommon. Neither is staff turnover. Differences in perspective may intensify and undermine trust. The deviation from ideal circumstances challenges evaluation and calls for methodological innovation. And how do evaluators work with assumptions in non-ideal settings? What tools are most relevant and effective? This revised edition reviews major evaluations of humanitarian action and discusses strategies for working with evaluation assumptions in crises and stable program settings.

Exploring the influence and application of Campbellian validity typology in the theory and practice of outcome evaluation, this volume addresses the strengths and weaknesses of this often controversial evaluation method and presents new perspectives for its use. Editors Huey T. Chen, Stewart I. Donaldson and Melvin M. Mark provide a historical overview of the Campbellian typology adoption, contributions and criticism. Contributing authors propose strategies in developing a new perspective of validity typology for advancing validity in program evaluation including Enhance External Validity Enhance Precision by Reclassifying the Campbellian Typology Expand the Scope of the Typology The volume concludes with William R. Shadish's spirited rebuttal to earlier chapters. A collaborator with Don Campbell, Shadish provides a balance to the perspective of the issue with a clarification and defense of Campbell's work. This is the 129th volume of the Jossey-Bass quarterly report series New Directions for Evaluation, an official publication of the American Evaluation Association.

Thoroughly covering the "why" and "how" of validity testing with children and adolescents, this book is edited and written by leaders in the field. Feigning or noncredible effort during psychological and neuropsychological assessments can have considerable repercussions for diagnosis, treatment, and use of resources. Practical guidance is provided for detecting and managing noncredible responding, including vivid case material. The reasons that children may feign during testing are also explored. Along with information relevant to all assessment settings, the book features specific chapters on educational, medical, sport-related, forensic, and Social Security Disability contexts.

No other book reviews clinical neuropsychological assessment from an empirical psychometric perspective. In this completely revised and updated 2nd edition, the concepts and methods of psychometric neuropsychology are presented as a framework by which to evaluate current instruments. Newer methodologies and statistical techniques are discussed, such as meta analysis, effect size, confirming factor analysis and ecological validity. The explosion of research in this area since the publication of the first edition in 1989, has been incorporated, including a greatly expanded chapter on child assessment instruments. This volume is a must for the bookshelf of every clinical neuropsychologist as well as researchers and students. Anyone conducting forensic evaluations will especially find useful the information on reliability and validity when preparing for court appearances.

This book combines an overview of validity theory, trends in validation practices and a review of standards and guidelines in several international jurisdictions with research synthesis of the validity evidence in different research areas. An overview of theory is both useful and timely, in view of the increased use of tests and measures for decision-making, ranking and policy purposes in large-scale testing, assessment and social indicators and quality of life research. Research synthesis is needed to help us assemble, critically appraise and integrate the overwhelming volume of research on validity in different contexts. Rather than examining whether any given measure is “valid”, the focus is on a critical appraisal of the kinds of validity evidence reported in the published research literature. The five sources of validity evidence discussed are: content-related, response processes, internal structure, associations with other variables and consequences. The 15 syntheses included here, represent a broad sampling of psychosocial, health, medical and educational research settings, giving us an extensive evidential basis to build upon earlier studies. The book concludes with a meta-synthesis of the 15 syntheses and a discussion of the current thinking of validation practices by leading experts in the field.

This edited volume presents a systematic analysis of conceptual, methodological and applied aspects related to the validation of educational tests used in Latin American countries. Inspired by international standards on educational measurement and evaluation, this book illustrates efforts that have been made in several countries to validate different types of educational assessments, including student learning assessments, measurements of non-cognitive aspects in students, teacher evaluations, and tests for certification and selection. It gathers the experience of validity studies from the main international assessments in Latin America (PISA, TIMSS, ERCE, and ICCS). Additionally, it shows the challenges that must be taken into account when evaluations are used to compare countries, groups or trends of achievement over time. The book builds on the premise that measurements in the educational field should not be used if there are no studies that support the validity of the interpretation of their scores, or the use made of such tests. It shows that, despite the recognition given to validity, relatively few educational measurement assessments have accumulated enough evidence to support their interpretation and use. In doing so, this volume increases awareness about the relevance of validity, especially when assessments are key component of educational policies.

Validity is a clear, substantive introduction to the two most fundamental aspects of defensible testing practice: understanding test score meaning and justifying test score use. Driven by evidence-based and consensus-grounded measurement theory, principles, and terminology, this book addresses the most common questions of applied validation, the quality of test information, and the usefulness of test results. Concise yet comprehensive, this volume’s integrated framework is ideal for graduate courses on assessment, testing, psychometrics, and research methods as well as for credentialing organizations, licensure and certification entities, education agencies, and test publishers.

This is the first book devoted to the topic of validity assessment in rehabilitation contexts and is written by two board certified psychologists with extensive experience in clinical neuropsychology and rehabilitation psychology. This book describes (a) why validity assessment is important, (b) validity assessment methods, and (c) special topics related to validity assessment in rehabilitation psychology (e.g., managing invalid presentations, mild traumatic brain injury, forensic and disability applications, ethical considerations). Although primarily intended for the rehabilitation psychologist who is new to the topic of validity assessment, this book is also designed to be helpful to other rehabilitation specialists, students and trainees, and psychologists experienced in validity assessment, including neuropsychologists.