Measurement Instruments and Analytical Methods
Because of the range of models, a broad range of instruments was selected in order to measure the targeted outcomes of basic skills, affective behavior, and cognitive behavior. Adams and Engelmann (1996) write, “while critics have complained about test selection and have usually suggested more testing, the assessment effort in this study went well beyond any other educational study conducted before, or since” (p. 71). In all, 14 instruments were selected and administered at various times throughout a student’s participation in Follow Through. Three groups of students, known as Cohorts (i.e., Cohorts I, II, and III) were followed longitudinally from the time they entered Follow Through (e.g., Kindergarten or Grade 1) until they exited the program (Grade 3). While the Stebbins, et al. evaluation rates the instruments high in terms of reliability, some sponsors questioned the validity of the instruments in measuring the varied orientations of the models. Other critics (e.g., House, et al. (1978) have criticized the instruments as well. However, the evaluators believed that the instrument battery represented the “best compromise” given the range of models (Stebbins, et al., 1977, pp. 35, 43). Despite the relatively large number of students who participated in Follow Through, the evaluators imposed rigorous restrictions on the sample that was actually in the statistical analysis. The comparison group—students from the community identified as not participating in Follow Through—was not subject to precisely the same restrictions as the control group, as long as they entered and exited school in the same districts and at the same time as Follow Through students.
Read more about this topic: Project Follow Through
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