You conduct a one-group before-after design evaluation of a program that aims to reduce juvenile delinquency. You discover that, in the year following the program juveniles were taken down to the police station for getting into trouble less often than the year before they enrolled in the program. While this is promising, what is a substantial potential threat to internal validity here?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Maturation, or natural development processes that occur regardless of the program, could be a potential threat to internal validity in this scenario. It's possible that the juveniles simply matured and gained self-control as they grew older, rather than the program being responsible for the decrease in delinquency. Without a comparison group, it is difficult to attribute causality to the program.

You Conduct a One-Group Before-After Design Evaluation of a Program