Evaluation Review最新文献

This paper presents the process of conducting a community-wide needs assessment that initially focused on soliciting information about childcare needs of families with school-aged children. The researchers were interested in understanding whether the method designed to conduct the needs assessment helped to foster collaboration, trust, and increased participation amongst multiple levels of stakeholders and subcommunities. Utilizing community-based participatory research principles, the authors will present a 3-phase approach to gaining community support through multiple levels of stakeholder engagement. While initially the needs assessment was focused on childcare, the scope broadened to learning about other needs that families with school-aged children faced. The strategic use of Survey Ambassadors throughout the community who could access families that were typically underrepresented and could provide feedback to the researchers in real time regarding modifications to the process was vital. Lessons learned included the need for further investigation into strategic methods for gaining family voices in underrepresented populations.

With an educational issue that has caught the attention of many countries in the world (study load), a population of 8th graders from a typical Chinese metropolitan city (40,536 from 118 schools), and an advanced statistical strategy (multilevel piecewise regression), we examined whether there was a turning point in terms of the effects of study load on science achievement. We did identify a turning point for each and every measure of study load. For weekday learning on science achievement, we identified a turning point of 22.50 hr for the effects of in-school learning, 7.50 hr for the effects of homework, and 12 hr for the effects of after-school learning. For weekend learning on science achievement, we identified a turning point of 1.50 hr for the effects of in-school learning, 5 hr for the effects of homework, and 1 hr for the effects of after-school learning. In each case, the difference in effects before and after the turning point was statistically significant, indicating that the effects of study load on science achievement were nonlinear. All of these turning points offered important implications for science education.

Intelligence-led policing (ILP) was introduced in the 1990s as a proactive approach to policing, but to date, there is a lack of studies that have synthesized and summarized the central characteristics and insights of (quasi-)experimental studies related to ILP. This study aims to address this gap by synthesizing and characterizing the central characteristics of 38 quasi-experimental and experimental studies related to ILP. In this study, a scoping review is conducted on different quasi-experimental and experimental studies that relate to the framework of ILP. It was found that most studies within the domain of ILP focus on testing the crime reduction effects of using spatio-temporal crime intelligence to deploy police resources more efficiently and effectively. However, some studies have combined different types of crime intelligence or used solely offender-related intelligence. Several statistical-methodological challenges were also identified that should be considered when designing experimental research within the domain of ILP. Additionally, most studies focused solely on measuring crime reduction, with few focusing on secondary effects of interventions. The review concludes that future evaluation studies should consider evaluating the use of different types of crime intelligence and establish specific, objective, and realistic criteria for measuring specific performance measures such as crime disruption. Future experimental research within the domain of ILP should consider applying the 3-i model, evaluating each leg of ILP thoroughly. The limitations of the study are also discussed. This review provides valuable insights for future research and development of ILP-related approaches.

As ecological globalization intensifies, rural waste recycling and management has become a global concern. China's proactive efforts are significant for revitalizing domestic rural ecosystems, offering valuable insights into global environmental governance. The rampant dumping and informal processing of hazardous waste in rural China pose severe threats to local ecological balance and public safety. Thus, efficiently recycling hazardous rural and agricultural waste is pivotal for China's rural ecological and environmental governance. This study adopts a participatory governance perspective and establishes a theoretical framework for dual principal-agent relationships. This framework examined 22 cases of rural governance spanning Eastern, Central, and Western China. This study evaluated governance mechanisms in four dimensions: policy, material, human, and social capital, using the fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis method. The key findings include: (1) The adverse orientation and behavior of hazardous waste recycling governance in rural areas stem from the combined impacts of multiple complex factors. (2) The synergistic interplay between policy, human, and social capital is crucial for advancing hazardous waste recycling governance in rural settings. (3) Three pathway mechanisms--socially driven, market-oriented, and system participation--facilitate the effective governance of hazardous waste recycling. Innovative practices in hazardous waste recycling and management within rural China yielded positive domestic impacts and profoundly influenced global environmental governance. China's experiences and approaches motivate other nations and regions, showcasing responsibility and dedication to international environmental governance and bolstering Chinese contributions to creating a cleaner, beautiful world.

The frequency and richness of the theories developed, tested, and used by researchers in an academic discipline exemplify several pertinent factors, namely, the growth, the maturity, the independence, the legitimacy, and the influence of the discipline. Although organizations have been working on projects for centuries, Project Management (PM) is a considerably new academic discipline with emerging research themes, models, methodologies, frameworks, and paradigms. These PM concepts are anchored on or reinforced by new or existing theories. This exploratory study aims to add to the existing PM body of knowledge by investigating the prevalence of theory use in PM research. A systematic content analysis of 9200 PM research articles published from 2000 to 2019 (20 years) in the leading PM journals identified 248 unique theories. These results reveal that the PM discipline is increasingly embracing the use of theories with game theory, fuzzy theory, agency theory, contingency theory, and stakeholder theory emerging as the most dominant theories in the reviewed research articles. Also, although PM is developing its theories, the results revealed that PM researchers continue to heavily use theories borrowed from other academic disciplines such as psychology, sociology, mathematics, and economics.

This study focuses on the second round of Taiwanese teacher preparation program (TPP) evaluation (2012-2017) to analyze how evaluation policy shapes TPPs. In-depth interviews were conducted with 13 stakeholders, which included professors, administrators, researchers, and staff involved in TPP evaluation. First, the findings revealed that neoliberalism influences evaluation policy and restricts the diversity of TPP development. Second, different evaluation approaches may be used to bring more inclusiveness and flexibility to evaluation standards. Third, evaluation plays an important role in TPP development, and a professional organization responsible for evaluation should be established in Taiwan in the future. To conclude, it is significant for TPP evaluation policy to consider policy ideology, evaluation standards, and program diversity to aid in improving the quality of teacher education not only in Taiwan but also internationally.

This study examined the impact of ITV intervention on reduction in the propensity to abuse substances and engage in drug trafficking. The researcher conducted this study using an experiment of 517 vulnerable adolescents aged 10-19 years. The participants were randomly assigned to control (n = 258) and treatment (n = 259) groups. The researchers found a significant main effect of treatment conditions on reduction in the propensity to engage in substance abuse and drug trafficking among vulnerable adolescents. That is, before the intervention, there was no significant statistical difference between the control and treatment groups on the propensity to engage in substance abuse and drug trafficking. However, vulnerable children who received the intervention reported a significant reduction in propensity after the intervention. The results highlight the usefulness of ITV as a behaviour change strategy for vulnerable children.

This study examines the relationship between foreign direct investment (FDI), institutional quality and human development) in host countries from 2002 to 2019, using the Human Development Index [HDI] as the measure of human development. This study utilized a panel dataset of 143 countries, including both developed and developing economies, over a 17-year period. Additionally, the study employed a GMM (generalized method of moments) estimator to address unobservable heterogeneity and simultaneity. This study reveals a significant positive relationship between FDI and human development, with a stronger effect observed in developing countries compared to in developed countries. Notably, the impact of FDI-HDI nexus is larger in countries with moderately high-quality institutions, irrespective of their income level. Furthermore, good governance plays a crucial role in enhancing human development, as developing economies with high governance quality experience a greater impact of FDI on HDI compared to other countries. The findings of this study suggest that attracting FDI can be beneficial for enhancing the HDI, especially in developing countries. Additionally, the study highlights governance as a moderating factor in the relationship between FDI and HDI. Improving governance quality can enhance the positive impact of FDI on human development in host countries, especially in developing countries.

To improve one of the lowest rates of literacy and numeracy in the world, the government of Brazil has targeted public education reform, given the strong link between an educated population and economic growth. This study examines the academic performance of the Brazilian public primary school system. It addresses the empirical shortcomings of prior research to examine the dynamics of the relationship between academic performance scores and several demographic and institutional variables, such as socioeconomic characteristics, variations in school infrastructure and school complexity, and teachers' human capital. We employed quantile regression to explore the determinants of academic performance across 35,490 schools in rural and urban environments in Brazil. The dependent variable in our analysis captures the academic performance score, as measured by Brazil's education authorities, of each school in our dataset. The model includes several education-related indices used in prior research and, as explanatory factors, measures of teachers' human capital and the students' socioeconomic level, which synthesizes information on parents' education and household income. The results suggest that several institutional variables, including access to school libraries, computer facilities, projectors, and televisions, are positively and significantly related to the academic performance of primary students in Brazil's system of public education. Furthermore, students' socioeconomic level is positively associated with their academic performance.