Examining mixing methods in an evaluation of a smoking cessation program.

Three different methods were used in an evaluation of a smoking cessation study: surveys, focus groups, and phenomenological interviews. The results of each method were analyzed separately and then combined using both a pragmatic and dialectic stance to examine the effects of different approaches to mixing methods. Results show that the further apart the methods are philosophically, the more diverse the findings.

The relationship between involvement in and use of evaluation in multi-site evaluations.

This research explores the relationship between participation in evaluation and the use of evaluation findings and processes within three large-scale multi-site evaluations. Using canonical correlation analysis and a collection of 20 interviews, this study describes and tests the relationship between these two critical conceptual powerhouses in evaluation. Using data that were collected as a part of the NSF-funded research Beyond Evaluation Use (Lawrenz & King, 2009), this study found that some theories and beliefs about participatory evaluation contribute to use and influence in similar ways as in single-site evaluations.

An empirical examination of the management of return of individual research results and incidental findings in genomic biobanks.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine and document the management and return of individual research results and incidental findings to research participants among biobanks.

Methods: A comprehensive Internet search was completed to identify biobanks and collect available documents about biobanks and their procedures and policies regarding the return of results. The Internet search was supplemented by an e-mail request to gather further such documents.

Expert panel reviews of research centers: the site visit process.

Site visits are used extensively in a variety of settings within the evaluation community. They are especially common in making summative value decisions about the quality and worth of research programs/centers. However, there has been little empirical research and guidance about how to appropriately conduct evaluative site visits of research centers.