Required Resources
Text
Rossi, P. H., Lipsey, M. W., & Freeman, H. E. (2004). Evaluation: A systemic approach (7th ed.).
Chapter 5: Expressing and Assessing Program Theory
Chapter 6: Assessing and Monitoring Program Process
Article
Lipsey, M., Petrie, C., Weisburd, D., & Gottfredson, D. (2006). Improving evaluation of anti-crime programs: Summary of a National Research Council report (Links to an external site.). Journal of Experimental Criminology, 2(3), 271-307. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11292-006-9009-6
Both the text and the article should able you in order to find examples of research methods and practices that can help you with your Final Paper, but more importantly, your understanding of the task at hand.
This week’s assignment focuses on defining the concept and creating measures. You will need to design, describe, and justify the method you plan to use in your Final Paper in order to generate and collect data to ascertain the effectiveness of the chosen program or policy.
Define the Concept and Create Measures
In this assignment you will design, describe, and justify the method you will use in your Final Paper to generate and collect data in order to evaluate the effectiveness of the policy or program you intend to evaluate. For guidance on the selection of the most logical, effective, and robust methodology, first look to the Rossi, Lipsey, and Freeman (2004) text or the Lipsey, Petrie, Weisburd, and Gottfredson (2006) article for the fundamental explanations and uses of various methodologies. Then, utilize your research skills to locate additional appropriate scholarly sources that focus on criminal justice or related topics to develop a workable, logical methodology.
The methodology should be suitable for inclusion in presentation designed for a criminal justice professional setting. To streamline the process, you can simply peruse the articles posted in the Required Resources and Recommended Resources sections throughout the course in order to obtain a more pragmatic, or practical, approach to the uses of scientific methodologies in the world of evaluation. This assignment can later serve as the methodology section in your Final Paper if you so choose, so make certain to include any term that will be included in the evaluation. For additional guidance on determining evaluability, look to your Rossi, Lipsey, and Freeman (2004) text.
In your paper,
Define the terms that will be used in your Final Paper. (For example, if you plan to evaluate whether a given police department policy reduces crime, you must define what you mean by the term crime.)
Operationalize your concepts and terms that will ultimately be used in your Final Paper.
Describe what you will evaluate in your Final Paper.
Describe how you will determine the evaluability and measure the effectiveness of the policy or program you are evaluating.
Address the impact of any political or ethical issues that might be associated with your measures.
The “Define the Concept and Create Measure” assignment
Must be 750 to 1250 words in length (not including title and reference pages), double-spaced, and formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Writing Center.
Must include a separate title page with the following:
Title of paper
Student’s name
Course name and number
Instructor’s name
Date submitted
Must use at least three scholarly sources in addition to the course text.
Must document all sources in APA style as outlined in the Writing Center.
Must include a separate reference page that is formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Writing Center.
