CHES Evaluation and Research Methods 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A logic model's 'outputs' section typically includes:
- Long-term behavior change goals
- Activities completed and products delivered (Correct answer)
- Funding sources and budget
- Community health status indicators
Correct answer: Activities completed and products delivered
Outputs in a logic model represent the direct products of program activities, such as sessions conducted or materials distributed.
Question 2: Triangulation in qualitative research involves:
- Using three focus groups instead of one
- Using multiple data sources or methods to strengthen credibility (Correct answer)
- Applying three statistical tests to the same dataset
- Interviewing participants three times
Correct answer: Using multiple data sources or methods to strengthen credibility
Triangulation uses multiple data sources, methods, or investigators to cross-verify findings and enhance credibility.
Question 3: Which threat to internal validity occurs when participants in a study improve simply because they are being observed?
- Maturation
- History
- Hawthorne effect (Correct answer)
- Regression to the mean
Correct answer: Hawthorne effect
The Hawthorne effect refers to behavior change that results from participants knowing they are being observed rather than from the intervention itself.
Question 4: A needs assessment that uses existing data (e.g., vital statistics, census data) is relying on:
- Primary data collection
- Formative evaluation
- Secondary data analysis (Correct answer)
- Ethnographic observation
Correct answer: Secondary data analysis
Secondary data analysis involves using data already collected for another purpose, such as government databases or hospital records.
Question 5: Which statistical test is most appropriate for comparing mean scores between two independent groups?
- Chi-square test
- Pearson correlation
- Independent samples t-test (Correct answer)
- ANOVA
Correct answer: Independent samples t-test
An independent samples t-test compares the means of two separate, unrelated groups to determine if a statistically significant difference exists.
Question 6: Summative evaluation is best described as an assessment conducted:
- During program development to refine content
- At the end of a program to judge overall effectiveness (Correct answer)
- Before the program begins to identify needs
- Throughout implementation to monitor fidelity
Correct answer: At the end of a program to judge overall effectiveness
Summative evaluation occurs at the program's conclusion to determine whether goals were met and to inform decisions about continuation.
Question 7: In health education research, response rate is important because a low response rate threatens:
- Internal validity due to confounding
- External validity due to potential non-response bias (Correct answer)
- Measurement reliability
- Statistical power calculations
Correct answer: External validity due to potential non-response bias
Low response rates may introduce non-response bias, where non-responders differ systematically from responders, limiting generalizability.
CHES Evaluation and Research Methods 4
A logic model's 'outputs' section typically includes: