- Email: [email protected]
Evaluating occupational education and training programs
Evaluation alad Program Planning, Vol. 1, pp. 325-326 (1979) Printed in the U.S.A. All rights reserved.
0149-7189178/040325-02$0.200/O Copyright 0 19 79 Pergamon Press Ltd
CAPSULE BOOK REVIEWS
Evaluating Occupational Education 167.5, 335 pp., $15.95.
and Training- Programs, by Tim L. Wentling and Tom E. Lawson. Boston: -
A&n
and
Bacon,
Although this book is not a handbook per se, it does provide a good deal of detailed and practical advice concerning all aspects of the evaluation of occupational education and training programs. The authors assume that if such evaluation is to be done properly, evaluation must focus on all parties to the program being evaluated. Thus the book contains separate chapters on how evaluators should deal with students, employers, and education and training personnel. In addition to these chapters, the book contains chapters on follow-up evaluation, cost analysis techniques of evaluation, the utilization of evaluation information for planning, and methods of designing an evaluation system. The book assumes that evaluation constitutes considerably more than assessment of explicit program goals, and it tries to develop a general approach to the complete evaluation of occupational education. Most chapters begin with an explanation of why that particular
aspect of evaluation is necessary, and then go on to explain what should be done, and how. Although the book focuses explicitly on occupational education programs, many of the principles and approaches dealt with are appropriate to a wide range of educational programs. The book is not highly technical, and explicit information on statistics, design, instrument construction, and the like will have to be sought elsewhere. The book is, however, a useful and practical guide for people contemplating doing evaluation in occupational education and training. It is possible that others may not agree with the approach which is taken by the authors, but the book is a good articulation of a reasonable and useful evaluation approach. J. A. M.
Multivariate Nominal Scale Analysis, by Frank M. Andrews and Robert C. Messenger. ter, Institute for Social Research,
1973,
108 pp., $5.00
[paper): $8.00
The problem of multivariate analysis of nominal data is a recurrent issue in many areas of social research. This book is an attempt to set out a technique and an established computer program which can handle such analysis. Multivariate Nominal Scale Analysis (MNA) is capable of dealing with multivariate data in which dependent variables are nominal and independent variables exist at any level of measurement. By the authors’ admission, the technique is new and from a statistical point of view, not fully tried. On the other hand, it has been used extensively in some areas, and programs do exist for performing the necessary analysis and providing clear, readable output. Mathematically, the technique involves the use of dummy variables in regression analyses. The book is well organized, and separate chapters are devoted to important issues. Chapter topics include: the
Ann Arbor:
Survey Research
Cen-
(cloth).
types of problems applicable to MNA analysis; a mathematical description of the technique; a discussion of the relation of MNA to other techniques designed for the same purpose; a description of the program used to carry out MNA; and a presentation of unsolved problems related to the technique. The chapter on ‘Lother techniques” is particularly useful, as it serves as an excellent introduction to the literature on the problem of the statistical analysis of nominal data. In general, the entire book is well written and easy to follow. Some mathematical or statistical background is needed to fully comprehend the book, but it should be readable for a substantial proportion of people with social research backgrounds. J. A. M
Evaluating Community Mental Health Services, Principles and Practice, edited by Isabel Davidoff, Marcia Guttentag, and Joan Offutt. Rockville, Md.: The Staff College, National Institute of Mental Health, 1977, 454 pp. free. (DHEW Publication No. (ADM) 77-465). The National Institute of Mental Health College, producer of this book, provides training courses for staff of Federal, state, and local mental health departments, as well as
other publicly-funded programs. The courses, designed to meet the variety of needs of mental health staff, inelude a seminar on the evaluation of community mental 325
0149-7189178/040325-02$0.200/O Copyright 0 19 79 Pergamon Press Ltd
CAPSULE BOOK REVIEWS
Evaluating Occupational Education 167.5, 335 pp., $15.95.
and Training- Programs, by Tim L. Wentling and Tom E. Lawson. Boston: -
A&n
and
Bacon,
Although this book is not a handbook per se, it does provide a good deal of detailed and practical advice concerning all aspects of the evaluation of occupational education and training programs. The authors assume that if such evaluation is to be done properly, evaluation must focus on all parties to the program being evaluated. Thus the book contains separate chapters on how evaluators should deal with students, employers, and education and training personnel. In addition to these chapters, the book contains chapters on follow-up evaluation, cost analysis techniques of evaluation, the utilization of evaluation information for planning, and methods of designing an evaluation system. The book assumes that evaluation constitutes considerably more than assessment of explicit program goals, and it tries to develop a general approach to the complete evaluation of occupational education. Most chapters begin with an explanation of why that particular
aspect of evaluation is necessary, and then go on to explain what should be done, and how. Although the book focuses explicitly on occupational education programs, many of the principles and approaches dealt with are appropriate to a wide range of educational programs. The book is not highly technical, and explicit information on statistics, design, instrument construction, and the like will have to be sought elsewhere. The book is, however, a useful and practical guide for people contemplating doing evaluation in occupational education and training. It is possible that others may not agree with the approach which is taken by the authors, but the book is a good articulation of a reasonable and useful evaluation approach. J. A. M.
Multivariate Nominal Scale Analysis, by Frank M. Andrews and Robert C. Messenger. ter, Institute for Social Research,
1973,
108 pp., $5.00
[paper): $8.00
The problem of multivariate analysis of nominal data is a recurrent issue in many areas of social research. This book is an attempt to set out a technique and an established computer program which can handle such analysis. Multivariate Nominal Scale Analysis (MNA) is capable of dealing with multivariate data in which dependent variables are nominal and independent variables exist at any level of measurement. By the authors’ admission, the technique is new and from a statistical point of view, not fully tried. On the other hand, it has been used extensively in some areas, and programs do exist for performing the necessary analysis and providing clear, readable output. Mathematically, the technique involves the use of dummy variables in regression analyses. The book is well organized, and separate chapters are devoted to important issues. Chapter topics include: the
Ann Arbor:
Survey Research
Cen-
(cloth).
types of problems applicable to MNA analysis; a mathematical description of the technique; a discussion of the relation of MNA to other techniques designed for the same purpose; a description of the program used to carry out MNA; and a presentation of unsolved problems related to the technique. The chapter on ‘Lother techniques” is particularly useful, as it serves as an excellent introduction to the literature on the problem of the statistical analysis of nominal data. In general, the entire book is well written and easy to follow. Some mathematical or statistical background is needed to fully comprehend the book, but it should be readable for a substantial proportion of people with social research backgrounds. J. A. M
Evaluating Community Mental Health Services, Principles and Practice, edited by Isabel Davidoff, Marcia Guttentag, and Joan Offutt. Rockville, Md.: The Staff College, National Institute of Mental Health, 1977, 454 pp. free. (DHEW Publication No. (ADM) 77-465). The National Institute of Mental Health College, producer of this book, provides training courses for staff of Federal, state, and local mental health departments, as well as
other publicly-funded programs. The courses, designed to meet the variety of needs of mental health staff, inelude a seminar on the evaluation of community mental 325