Question 1

A key component of any program evaluation is the review of a program to see how the program helped clients. In the outcomes stage, which of the following tools should an evaluator consider using to determine the effectiveness of a program?

A) Goal Attainment Scale, Client Satisfaction, Target Problem Scale
B) Client satisfaction, Cost-benefit Analysis, Summary Scale
C) Goal Attainment Scale, Target Problem Scale, Sequencing Blocks
D) Participants, Stakeholders, Social Workers

C

Accepted Answer

C

Question 2

Outcomes should ultimately focus on clients and on not staff interventions. If an auditor were to review a program for effectiveness, which of the following goals is most appropriately focused on the client outcomes?

A) Sally will be assisted with developing coping skills
B) Sally will contact crisis services when she needs additional support
C) Sally will be contacted every week to monitor status and level of change
D) Sally will have access to medication management services

B

Accepted Answer

Outcomes that focus on client behavior or actions are more appropriate for program effectiveness. Option B focuses on a behavior/action that Sally will take, which is contacting crisis services when she needs additional support. Option A focuses on staff intervention, assisting Sally with developing coping skills. Option C focuses on staff monitoring Sally's status and level of change, which may not necessarily result in a change in behavior. Option D focuses on a service provided to Sally rather than a specific outcome or behavior she will demonstrate.

Question 3

According to the text, Martin and Kettner (1996) offer seven criteria for determining whether an outcomes measure is adequate or acceptable. The outcome measure criteria that refers to whether the outcome measure reflects what it is supposed to measure and whether it does so accurately is the _____________ criteria.

A) Reliability
B) Precision
C) Cost
D) Validity

D

Accepted Answer

The criteria that refers to whether the outcome measure reflects what it is supposed to measure and whether it does so accurately is the validity criteria.

Question 4

In social work research it may be difficult to study causal relationships. Codes of ethics and professional values tend to make it difficult to withhold treatments, which in-turn makes it difficult to form control groups in research. Which item is not a condition that must be met for claiming a causal relationship?

A) Independent variable precedes the dependent variable in time
B) Measures are reliable
C) Statistical association between the independent and dependent variable
D) Statistical association is due to the independent variable and not an extraneous variable(s)

Accepted Answer

All of the conditions listed are necessary for claiming a causal relationship except for reliable measures. While reliable measures are important for ensuring accurate data, they do not directly relate to establishing causality.

Question 5

A program evaluator wants to conduct a time series design for assessing the effectiveness of a program designed to serve those with eating disorders. The evaluator is currently obtaining baseline measurements in the form of daily caloric intakes for a research participant. It is the hope that the interventions help the research participants maintain healthy nutritional habits. What type of research methodology is a time series design?

A) Pre-experimental
B) Quasi-experimental
C) Experimental
D) Cross-sectional

Accepted Answer

A time series design is a type of quasi-experimental research methodology. It involves collecting data over a period of time before and after an intervention to assess its effectiveness, which makes it quasi-experimental because it lacks control over extraneous variables.

Question 6

A researcher is planning to use an ABAB single systems design to evaluate a program that serves adolescents. More specifically, the researcher is interested to see if the program helps reduce amounts of anxiety after 30 days. What do the A and B phases stand for in a single systems design?

A) A = Intervention phase; B = Outcome phase
B) A = Baseline phase; B = Outcome phase
C) A = Intervention point; B = Baseline point
D) A = Baseline phase; B = Intervention phase

Accepted Answer

In an ABAB single systems design, "A" refers to the Baseline phase, where data is collected without intervention to establish a reference point for the individual's behavior or condition. "B" refers to the Intervention phase, where the treatment or intervention is introduced, and its effects on the individual are observed and recorded. This design allows for the comparison of behavior or conditions before and after the intervention, and then again when the intervention is withdrawn and reintroduced, to assess its effectiveness.

Question 7

An instructor of a Social Work Research Methods course presents a lecture on the limitations of group research designs. She states that some research designs allow for causal inferences, others shed light on correlations, and some designs are used to describe social phenomena. Which group design has a weakness of not including a comparison or control group?

A) One-group pretest/posttest design
B) Time series design
C) Pretest/posttest comparison group design
D) Pretest/posttest control group design

Accepted Answer

The one-group pretest/posttest design does not include a comparison or control group, which limits the ability to draw causal inferences. This design only includes one group and measures the same variable before and after an intervention or treatment, which can shed light on within-group changes but cannot determine if these changes are due to the intervention or other factors. The other three designs listed (B) time series design, (C) pretest/posttest comparison group design, and (D) pretest/posttest control group design all include comparison or control groups, which can help to rule out alternative explanations and increase the validity of causal inferences.

Question 8

Juan plans to measure the outcomes for a substance abuse treatment program. The outcomes are defined as the percentage of clients who refrain 100% from illicit drugs and alcohol use at 3, 6, 9, and 12 month intervals. Juan is confident in the measures because they are consistent. What term indicates that a measure has internal consistency?

A) Precision
B) Usefulness
C) Reliability
D) Validity

Accepted Answer

Internal consistency is an indication of reliability, which means that the measure can produce consistent results over time. Precision and usefulness are not specific to consistency, and validity refers to the accuracy of the measure in measuring what it is intended to measure, rather than its consistency.

Question 9

Today, social work interventions are inclined to be evidence-based practices. Funders, administrators, and clients expect to see evidence that the programs and practices used are representative of "best-practices," or have empirical support for being effective. What is an operational definition for evidence-based practices?

A) Practices that have a lengthy history of being implemented
B) Interventions that approximate causal relationships to client outcomes
C) Interventions that approximate exploratory or descriptive links to client outcomes
D) Interventions that a practitioner is comfortable implementing

Accepted Answer

Evidence-based practices are interventions that have empirical support for being effective and approximate causal relationships to client outcomes. Choice A is incorrect as length of implementation does not necessarily indicate effectiveness. Choice C is incorrect as exploratory or descriptive links alone do not constitute evidence-based practices. Choice D is incorrect as practitioner comfort does not guarantee effectiveness or empirical support.

Question 10

Group designs can be valuable to evaluations, particularly if the goals of the evaluation are to explain, predict, or claim causal inferences. Many of these methodologies involve using either control or comparison groups. What makes these two groups different?

A) Diversity of demographics
B) Validity and Reliability
C) Size
D) Random assignment

Accepted Answer

The main difference between control and comparison groups is that control groups are subjected to the same conditions as the treatment group except for the variable being tested while comparison groups are used to compare outcomes between different groups. Both control and comparison groups require random assignment to ensure validity and reliability, but this factor alone does not distinguish them from each other. Diversity of demographics and size may vary between groups but are not defining characteristics of either control or comparison groups.

Deck 9: Is the Intervention Effective