NCMHCE Research and Program Evaluation 3

Question 1

A counselor conducting a program evaluation collects both quantitative outcome data and qualitative interview responses. This approach is known as:

Accepted Answer

Mixed methods design

Answer

Sequential exploratory design

Answer

Action research design

Answer

Longitudinal design

Question 2

Which statistical measure is used in meta-analysis to express the magnitude of an intervention's effect in standardized units across studies?

Accepted Answer

Cohen's d effect size

Answer

Pearson correlation coefficient

Answer

Chi-square statistic

Answer

Confidence interval width

Question 3

According to ACA ethical guidelines, before conducting counseling research, practitioners must obtain:

Accepted Answer

IRB approval and voluntary informed consent from participants

Answer

Only department supervisor permission

Answer

Payment guarantees for participants

Answer

Mandatory disclosure of all research hypotheses to subjects before data collection

Question 4

A counselor reads that a depression screening tool has a sensitivity of 90% and specificity of 80%. What does the sensitivity of 90% mean?

Accepted Answer

90% of people with depression will correctly screen positive

Answer

90% of people without depression will correctly screen negative

Answer

The tool correctly classifies 90% of all individuals screened

Answer

There is a 90% chance the diagnosis is accurate

Question 5

Which of the following BEST describes the purpose of a needs assessment in a counseling program evaluation context?

Accepted Answer

Identifying gaps between current conditions and desired conditions to guide program planning

Answer

Measuring the outcomes achieved by an existing program

Answer

Determining the cost-effectiveness ratio of current services

Answer

Evaluating staff adherence to treatment protocols

Question 6

A researcher finds that two variables (e.g., number of therapy sessions attended and symptom reduction) have a Pearson r = .72. How should this result be interpreted?

Accepted Answer

There is a strong positive correlation between sessions attended and symptom reduction

Answer

Attending more sessions causes greater symptom reduction

Answer

The relationship between the variables is weak and unreliable

Answer

Sessions attended account for 72% of the variance in symptom reduction

Question 7

Which of the following is an example of a formative evaluation in a counseling agency?

Accepted Answer

Collecting feedback from clients mid-program to improve ongoing service delivery

Answer

Conducting a follow-up study six months after clients complete treatment

Answer

Publishing end-of-year outcome data for stakeholder accountability

Answer

Comparing the agency's outcomes to national benchmarks