Deck 11: Policy Analysis and Evaluation Research

Question 1

Modern statistical techniques can substitute statistical for experimental methods of control.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

There has been far too much use of replication in criminal justice research, which amounts to little more than re discovering the wheel.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

Assessment and monitoring mean the same thing as evaluation research.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

Progress in criminal justice requires that every program be evaluated.

Question 5

Criminal justice evaluations which fail to employ the experimental model are unlikely to produce useful results.

Question 6

The major emphasis of the NIJ research program is that the research be policy relevant.

Question 7

Schwarz feels that flaws are inevitable in evaluation research.

Question 8

Evaluation research is best conducted by "in?house" rather than by outside researchers.

Question 9

There is little rationale for program administrators to fear evaluations of their programs.

Question 10

Evaluation research differs from other types of applied research in that the data is used in decision making regard ing a specific program rather than representing findings of solely theoretical interest.

Question 11

Policy analysis is the study of government behavior.

Question 12

Having an evaluation cost more than the operating costs of the program it is designed to assess is absurd according to the National Advisory Committee on Criminal Justice Standards and Goals.

Question 13

Impact research is the most common type of evaluation research.

Question 14

Most methodological procedures used in evaluation research are quite different from those we have examined throughout this course.

Question 15

According to the text the data analysis stage is the single most important stage in research.

Question 16

The only way of avoiding error in research is to do no research at all.

Question 17

Postplanned evaluations are generally inferior to preplanned evaluations.

Question 18

Evaluation research has been overreliant upon questionnaires as the primary means of data gathering.

Question 19

Feedback in evaluation research refers to interference which disrupts the research plan.

Question 20

The purpose of evaluation research is primarily for pure science.

Question 21

Wilson's First Law of Evaluation Research states:

A) if anything can go wrong, it will
B) policy interventions produce intended effect if research is conducted by those implementing the policy
C) work expands to fit the time allowed for it
D) while figures don't lie, liars can figure

Question 22

Which of the following was not viewed as an obstacle to effective evaluation research in criminal justice?

A) poorly done evaluation design
B) cooptation of evaluation staff
C) inter?agency halitosis
D) focusing on the method and not the process

Question 23

Intensive supervision on parole or probation was found not to work.

Question 24

For an evaluability assessment which of the following is not a crucial question?

A) Where will the project be done?
B) Is the project evaluable?
C) Who can do this work?
D) Will the findings be used?

Question 25

PPBS stands for:

A) Public Policy Business Systems
B) Political Policy Bureaucratic Systems
C) Program Planned Before Spending
D) Planning, Programming, Budgeting Systems

Question 26

Policy experiments are field experiments which concern themselves with the development of pure science.

Question 27

Evaluation research:

A) was begun with legislation creating LEAA in 1968
B) is quite different methodologically from the standard research methods discussed in the text
C) measures the effects of a program in terms of its specific goals
D) is relatively inexpensive and quick

Question 28

Which of the following is not true of policy analysis?

A) it is a study of government policy
B) it is an applied interdisciplinary subfield
C) it is the same as operations research
D) it studies the causes and consequences of government behavior

Question 29

An investigation as to whether activities are related to inputs is known as:

A) process evaluation
B) impact evaluation
C) needs assessment
D) monitoring

Question 30

Which of the following was not a suggestion discussed in the text for improving relations between the researcher and host agency?

A) researchers should work for the agency that they evaluate
B) clear agreements should be reached beforehand
C) funding agencies should assist the researcher in establishing a favorable climate
D) educational programs should be provided to assist the researcher in learning about the agency

Question 31

Scared Straight programs were identified as programs that do not work.

Question 32

Feedback in evaluation research refers to informing public policy planners and recommending changes or continuance of programs that have been reviewed.

Question 33

The purpose of evaluation research is primarily for applied reasons.

Question 34

Modern statistical techniques are no substitute in control ling rival causal factors for experimental methods of control.

Question 35

DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) was one of the programs identified as one that "works".

Question 36

In systems analysis resources, guidelines, rules, and funds for personnel and equipment would be described as:

A) inputs
B) activities
C) results
D) outcomes

Question 37

Other than the applied focus most methodological procedures used in evaluation research are quite similar to those we have examined throughout the course.

Question 38

In the steps in performing evaluation which of the following is a concern which is not particularly a concern in most other research?

A) data analysis
B) research design
C) problem formulation
D) utilization

Question 39

Which of the following was not identified as one of the five NIJ criteria in its evaluation process?

A) technical merit
B) political sponsorship
C) importance of the research
D) qualifications of applicant

Question 40

Which of the following was not specified as a problem in attempting to utilize randomized designs in criminal justice field evaluations?

A) program planners may resist it
B) such designs are not applicable to any criminal justice agencies
C) the design may not be correctly carried out
D) such designs may create focused inequity

Question 41

Measuring the need for some service in a target area is called:

A) monitoring
B) needs assessment
C) process evaluation
D) impact evaluation

Question 42

Discuss the general steps involved in evaluation research. How do these differ in focus from the general steps in standard research Projects?

Question 43

What have been some obstacles to evaluation research in the field of criminal justice?

Question 44

What was not identified as a problem related to the attempt to use randomized designs in field evaluations?

A) program staff may insist upon assignment based on need
B) the design may break down
C) the design may not be correctly carried out
D) such designs are inapplicable to field research

Question 45

Some critics of criminal justice evaluation research feel that most of it has been very poor and virtually worthless since most of it has failed to employ the classic experi mental design.React to and discuss this criticism.

Question 46

research is applied social science research which is intended to guide public policy.

Question 47

Evaluation research:

A) has developed from the physical sciences
B) has developed from the world of technology
C) emphasizes a pure science approach
D) has been bypassed by modern computer technology

Question 48

is the "study of whatever governments choose do or not to do"; "the description and explanation of the causes and consequences of government behavior."

Question 49

The study of "what governments do or do not do" is a description of:

A) evaluation research
B) policy analysis
C) problem formulation
D) factor analysis

Question 50

What are the major types of evaluation research and how do they differ from each other?

Question 51

A key notion which distinguishes evaluation research from standard social research is:

A) utilization
B) design of instruments
C) data analysis
D) research design

Question 52

experiments are applied field experiments with immediate practical policy implications.

Question 53

A type of model which views programs as an interrelated process of inputs, programs, and outputs is:

A) evaluation model
B) policy model
C) systems model
D) heuristic model

Question 54

In the systems approach the accomplishment of broader range societal goals such as better justice or safety is called:

A) inputs
B) activities
C) results
D) outcomes

Question 55

What is evaluation research and in what ways does it differ from the type of research that has been discussed previously throughout the text? What types of questions does evaluation research ask?

Question 56

Which of the following is not part of Dye's model or steps in the policy process?

A) estimation
B) identification
C) formulation
D) legitimation

Question 57

The , which is the research branch of the U.S.Department of Justice, is the major funder of criminal justice research.

Question 58

What are some concerns a researcher should address before deciding or agreeing to conduct an evaluation?

Question 59

A model views programs as an interrelated process of inputs, programs, and outputs.

Question 60

A type of applied research which is intended to guide public policy is called:

A) evaluation research
B) policy analysis
C) systems model
D) monitoring

Question 61

What role does the host agency play in successful evaluation research?