bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Comparison of Some Estimator Methods of Regression Mixed Model for the Multilinearity Problem and High – Dimensional Data
Authors: Muttaleb Thaer Hashim Abdul
Published: April 2023

In order to obtain a mixed model with high significance and accurate alertness, it is necessary to search for the method that performs the task of selecting the most important variables to be included in the model, especially when the data under study suffers from the problem of multicollinearity as well as the problem of high dimensions. The research aims to compare some methods of choosing the explanatory variables and the estimation of the parameters of the regression model, which are Bayesian Ridge Regression (unbiased) and the adaptive Lasso regression model, using simulation. MSE was used to compare the methods.
Groengasprojecten: energietransitie in ruraal Nederland?
Authors: Sanders Maurits , Hoppe Thomas
Published: April 2023

The challenge of green gas production in the Netherlands; a stakeholder analysis

‘Green gas’ is a sustainable alternative to natural gas. It is produced by converting biomass into biogas, which can consequently be upgraded to natural gas standards. Expectations about green gas are high. According to the long term vision of Netbeheer Nederland, the representative association of gas grid operators, green gas will entail 50 percent of the domestic gas mixture by 2050. In line with this vision national government has adopted a green gas innovation support program. Production of green gas takes place in rural areas with abundant supply of organic production resources, especially manure. It is in demonstration projects that green gas niche development is to be proven. In this paper the central question is how green gas demonstration projects manifest at the local level. By conducting a stakeholder analysis, we take a ‘bottom-up’ research approach, which helps us to identify organizational and institutional barriers key local stakeholders have in relation to green gas demonstration projects. We judge this necessary to further understanding in green gas niche development. The results of the analysis are used to advice policymakers about design and use of policy instruments which can help to solve these barriers.
Vakmanschap in uitvoering
Authors: Hupe Peter
Published: April 2023

Craftspersonship in operational governance: Street-level bureaucrats as professionals in public service

Street-level bureaucracy as a term was coined by Michael Lipsky, an American political scientist, who launched it in a conference paper presented in 1969. The aggregate phenomenon the term refers to concerns a particular but broad segment of the public and semi-public sector where certain occupations, such as teaching, social work and policing, imply direct contact with individual citizens. Lipsky’s book (1980/2010) became a classic in Public Administration. Since its publication, street-level bureaucracy as an object of academic study has evolved into a scholarly theme of its own. In the study of street-level bureaucracy as now practised by an expanding worldwide community of researchers, applying rules and policy implementation have been joined by a range of other conceptualisations. In research on what happens in the interactions between public officials and individual citizens the focus has shifted more and more towards motivational aspects; links with social psychology have been made. In response, a plea for an ‘institutional (turn or return’ is evident, taking the context of the public encounter into account while making the empirical study of street-level bureaucracy more comparative.
Leren kijken door het oog van de burger: goed gezien!
Authors: Koppenjan Joop
Published: April 2023

Learning to look through the eyes of the citizen: well seen!

In this discussion of Nanke Verloo’s Van Slingerlandt speech, Joop Koppenjan endorses her plea for a government and Public Administration with more feeling for how citizens experience their interactions with government on so called critical moments is endorsed. He raises questions regarding her positioning outside the mainstream of Public Administration, her lack of distance towards the interest and intentions of citizens, the emphasis on communication instead of performance, and the difficulty to upscale insights and lessons brought forward by an ethnographic approach.
PENGARUH TINGKAT PENDIDIKAN, PEMAHAMAN AKUNTANSI, PELATIHAN PENYUSUNAN LAPORAN KEUANGAN DAN UKURAN USAHA TERHADAP PELAPORAN KEUANGAN UMKM BERDASARKAN SAK ETAP (Studi Empiris pada UMKM Olahan Makanan Kabupaten Demak)
Authors: Lestari Amalia , Mulyanto Mulyanto , Afifi Zaenal
Published: April 2023

Tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah untuk mengetahui pengaruh tingkat pendidikan, pemahaman akuntansi, pelatihan penyusunan laporan keuangan dan ukuran usaha terhadap pelaporan keuangan UMKM berdasarkan SAK ETAP di Kabupaten Demak. Penelitian ini menggunakan penelitian kuantitatif yang dalam pengumpulan data diperoleh melalui penyebaran kuesioner. Teknik pengambilan sampel dengan total sebanyak 77 sampel. Kemudian data diolah menggunakan aplikasi SPSS versi 29. Hasil penelitian ini menunjukkan bahwa tingkat pendidikan, pemahaman akuntansi dan ukuran usaha berpengaruh positif terhadap pelaporan keuangan UMKM berdasarkan SAK ETAP. Pelatihan penyusunan laporan keuangan tidak berpengaruh terhadap pelaporan keuangan UMKM berdasarkan SAK ETAP.
Economia compartilhada na logística: uma revisão sistemática de literatura sobre logística de multidão
Authors: Platen Amably Cristina , Taboada Rodriguez Carlos Manuel
Published: April 2023

O mundo vem vivenciando uma explosão de iniciativas de economia compartilhada. No contexto logístico estas operações são verificadas principalmente na terceirização para uma grande massa de atores dos serviços de última milha. O artigo realiza uma Revisão Sistemática de Literatura com o objetivo de apresentar a evolução da produção científica do tema ao longo do tempo os principais autores, periódicos e países que estudam a logística da multidão; busca explicitar qual o estado da arte da área e quais são os esforços de pesquisa atuais, além de expor direções de pesquisas futuras. Os resultados mostram que a pesquisa científica sobre Logística de Multidão ainda está em sua infância e múltiplas questões de pesquisa ainda não foram exploradas.
SOCIO-ECONOMIC ASPECTS OF BIOFUELS CONSUMPTION BY HOUSEHOLDS IN THE CZECH REPUBLIC
Authors: Zimmermannova Jarmila , Smilnak Richard , Ameir Omar , Perunova Michaela
Published: April 2023

Decarbonising the EU-s energy system is crucial to reach the 2030 climate objectives and the EU-s long-term strategy of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050. Based on these Green Deal goals and the current energy situation in Europe, it is highly important to focus on biofuel energy sources. Our research deals with the behaviour of households in the Czech Republic and changes in their consumption habits in the last decades. The main goal of this paper is to evaluate the development of the consumption of biofuels by households for heating purposes, in comparison with the consumption of fossil solid fuels (coal and coke) in the Czech Republic in the period 2010 - 2020. The second goal is to evaluate the influence of selected socioeconomic aspects/variables on the consumption of biofuels. Regarding biofuels, the analysis will focus on biomass for heating purposes, such as firewood, wood waste, pellets, and briquettes. Concerning socio-economic indicators, the analysis will be based on various data, such as GDP per capita, average wage, environmental taxation, environmental subsidies, etc. The authors will work with data published by the Czech Statistical Office, ministries, and other national authorities, as well as data from Eurostat. As a methodology, correlation and regression analysis will be used. The results will show the possible influence of selected socio-economic variables on the development of biofuel consumption by households. The recommendations will be formulated based on the obtained results.
RESULTS OF AN EXPERIMENT ON THE CREATION OF AN ARTIFICIAL AEOLIAN FORM ALONG THE SEA COAST OF THE KINBURNSKA-POKROVSKA-DOVHIY COASTAL BARRIER, BLACK SEA
Authors: Davydov Oleksiy , Stoyan Alexander , Murkalov Alexander , Chaus Vasyli
Published: April 2023

Global climate changes, sea level rising, storm activity intensification, and increasing anthropogenic pressure are causing the activation of destructive processes along the coasts of the World Ocean. The corresponding processes are appeared at the most dangerous rates within the coastal barriers.
Within the Black Sea, the total length of coastal barriers is 990 km, 703 km of which are within Ukraine. Corresponding barriers develop in conditions of active wave action and a general deficit of sediments. The maximum height of the relevany formations does not exceed 2.0 � 2.5 m, and the width is 200 � 250 m. The given barriers� morphometry does not contribute to the formation within their limits of large-scale coastal eolian forms, which perform the function of reserve sediments accumulation, protect and stabilize the coast. Accordingly, it is important to study the natural conditions of the Black Sea coastal barriers in order to determine the prospects for the implementation of natural coastal protection. The relevant studies were conducted within the KinburnskaPokrovska-Dovhiy barrier.
The research aim is to determine the suitability of the Kinburnska-Pokrovska-Dovhiy coastal barrier natural conditions for the controlled creation of an artificial foredune as an element of the natural coastal protection system.
Following research objectives would facilitate the achievement of this aim:
- identifying the natural features of the researched barrier;
- investigating the experience of previous works on the creation of artificial foredune;
- analyzing the previous results on the creation of an artificial aeolian form;
- determining the prospects for the creation of artificial aeolian forms within the Black Sea coastal barriers.
The research object is the coastal zone of the Kinburnska-Pokrovska-Dovhiy coastal barrier. The research subject is the analysis of the experiment results on the creation of an artificial aeolian form, as a justification for the implementation of natural coastal protection.
RENOVATION AND RECONSTRUCTION OF BUILT HERITAGE. CRITERIA, INSTRUMENTS, AND MEANS FOR ENERGY SAVINGS AT URBAN SCALE
Authors: Costantino Carlo , Benedetti Anna Chiara , Gulli Riccardo
Published: April 2023

The building sector accounts for approximately 40% of energy consumption and 36% of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Renovation and reconstruction are two of the main strategies to mitigate the energy use of existing building heritage and take action at the urban scale. Starting from GIS data concerning an Italian case study of the second half of the 20th century, a scenario-based analysis approach was taken to evaluate the energy savings of seven different renovation and reconstruction scenarios. The proposed methodology combines the municipal geodatabase with a building database of a specific period from archival research on building permits. Subsequently, data processing in Grasshopper allows the semi-automatically transforming of the 2D GIS geometric polygons into 3D models characterized by proper morphology, approximate window accuracy and construction information. In this way, building elements featured by material parameters (density, thermal conductivity, etc.) are used inside the two environmental analysis plugins, Ladybug and Honeybee (Ladybug Tools LLC), to achieve the building block energy modelling. The thermal model provides the energy consumption of the existing residential block and simulates the renovation and reconstruction scenarios. These findings are employed as part of a decision-making urban regeneration platform that compares demolition with reconstruction and renovation, considering economic, social, structural safety, obsolescence, and environmental aspects.
Medical Scientific Research Challenges in Iraq
Authors:   Department of pharmacology- collage of medicine - University of Baghdad - Iraq, Al-hussaniy Hany A.
Published: April 2023

Iraq, a country with a rich history and culture, has been plagued by numerous challenges that have hindered the growth and development of its medical and scientific research community. Despite the many obstacles facing the country, there are dedicated healthcare professionals and researchers who are working tirelessly to advance medical knowledge and improve healthcare outcomes in Iraq[1].Medical scientific research in Iraq faces a critical predicament with inadequate funding and resources[2]. Due to thelimited government budget for medical research, there is an insufficient amount of support for research projects and facilities. The shortage of resources has led to a massive talent depletion,with numerous skilled medical researchers and professionals departing the country for better opportunities[3]
Communication and resilience as predictors of coping with stress. Differentiating role of the age of the examined adolescents
Authors: Napora Elżbieta , Kornacka-Skwara Elżbieta
Published: April 2023

The planned research pursued two objectives. The first goal was to determine whether the selected variables: resilience and communication with peers, show a relationship with stress coping. The second to predict, based on selected variables, the coping with stress by adolescents divided by their age. Research conducted using the Adolescent Communicationwith Peers Scale (SKAR), the Resilience Measurement Scale (SPP-18) and the Coping Questionnaire in Stressful Situations (CISS) on a group of 546 adolescents divided into younger 1416 years of age. (37%) and older aged 1719 (63%) showed that the age of adolescents plays an important role in coping with stress. Among the predictors conducive to copingwith stress in the examined people, both in younger and older adolescents, there is openness in communication with peers. The sense of humour and openness to new experiences (dimension of resilience) showed a positive relationship in both the younger and the older group of adolescents. The general conclusion of the research is that mental resilience andopenness in peer relationships are conducive to undertaking task-oriented strategies of coping with stress by both younger and older adolescents.
Why preschool children use mobile devices parental perspective
Authors: Rowicka Magdalena , Postek Sławomir , Bujalski Michał
Published: April 2023

The use of digital devices (tablets, smartphones, smartwatches) by preschool children can be associated with benefits but also with risks to their development. The moderator of this relationship would be the role of parent. Research shows that a significant role in allowing the use of digital devices is played not by the childs needs (e.g. developmental) but by the needs of the parent (e.g. related to the desire to rest or the lack of ideas on how to take care of the child). The presented data was collected from a group of 729 parents of preschool children (from 36 to 72 months of age) in 2020 duringimplementation of Toddler on the Web project. The results cover the frequencies of reasons due to which parents allow their children to use digital devices. The results show that among the most frequently indicated reasons were: the need to perform other duties or to get a rest, as well as the lack of energy to take care of the child, while the least frequently mentioned reasons were: the lack of ideas for spending time together, lack of ideas for taking care of the child, and using a digital device as a regulator of emotions or mood. All of the reasons analysed were employed with varying frequency by more than a half of the parents. The reasons why parents allow children to use digital devices do not depend on either the age or the gender of the child. There are two exceptions: when parentsconsider digital devices as a reward for the child (e.g. for performing various tasks according to parents expectations), and when they do not know how to spend time together with their child the older the child, the more often parents tend to apply both principles. Our results indicate the need to implement educational and preventive activities in the group of current and future parents.
Exploring the Relationship between Self-Management Skills and Demographic Factors among Managers in Kathmandu-based Organizations
Authors: Thapa Pramila , Giridharan Beena , Khanal Josana , Adhikari Kuber
Published: April 2023

Background: Self-management skills (SMS) are vital for all managers to increase managerial performance and Well-Being (WB), yet few studies have been conducted in Nepal regarding this topic. Purpose: The main aim of this paper is to explore the relationship between Self- Management Skills (SMS) and Demographic Factors (DF) among managers in Kathmandu- based organizations. Methods: The study utilized a convenience sampling approach and a cross-sectional method with respondents (n=429)- managers, employing online questionnaires due to COVID-19. The study was tested for reliability and validity. SMS questions with five-point scales were used, resulting in 50 Self-Management Skills Scores (SMSS). A score of > 25 indicated a high score, while <25 indicated below-average scores. Descriptive and regression analyses were used to analyze the data. Findings: The results revealed that 63.1% of the managers had Self-Management Skills Scores (SMSS) below the average level. Demographic factors such as age, gender, and SMS training were correlated with SMS. Research limitations/Practical Implications: There are limitations with self-reported data, single data collection, and unknown total population. According to the study, managers’ SMS competence is influenced by their SMS training, age, and gender. Organizations should invest in training and development to improve managerial skills, especially in the healthcare sector. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusiveness (DEI)-related initiatives and improved hiring practices should be given primary priority. Originality/Value: This research explores a deserved need to learn how SMS can help create a person’s nurturing personality.
Collaborative Evaluations: Step-by-Step
Authors: Walker-Egea Connie
Published: April 2023

A review of the book Collaborative Evaluations: Step-by-Step (2nd ed.)by Liliana Rodríguez-Campos and Rigoberto Rincones-Gómez, published in 2013 by Stanford University Press.
Eliminating School Fees in Low-Income Countries: A Systematic Review
Authors: Morgan Claire , Petrosino Anthony , Fronius Trevor
Published: April 2023

This article discusses a systematic review of studies of interventions in low-income developing countries that evaluated the elimination of school user fees (including tuition, uniforms, textbooks and other contributions). Only five rigorous empirical studies were identified that evaluate a school fees elimination program.  Overall, the 36 empirical and descriptive studies identified show positive enrollment and persistence outcomes for fees elimination, although some indicate accompanying tradeoffs in education quality.  The review highlights the need for more rigorous and longitudinal empirical research regarding the effects of various types of school fees elimination policies in low-income developing nations—particularly on the effectiveness of targeting policies to the most vulnerable groups, effects on education quality, and the extent to which fees abolition policies can be sustainable.
Seeking Culturally Safe Developmental Evaluation: Supporting the Shift in Services for Indigenous Children
Authors: Blanchet-Cohen Natasha , Geoffroy Pascale , Luz Marina Hoyos Luz
Published: April 2023

Background: Evaluation methods based on western frameworks that disregard Indigenous peoples’ worldviews and are imposed and implemented by outsiders are problematic for Indigenous communities.
Purpose: The article presents the experience of using developmental evaluation (DE) in supporting a shift in pre- and post-natal care programming for Indigenous mothers and their young children.
Setting: Indigenous peoples living in urban areas in Quebec often feel unwelcome mainstream services, resulting in under-use. A history of colonization in Canada has resulted in a loss of Indigenous child-rearing practices
Intervention: The study was carried out in the context of a three-year initiative aimed at strengthening the abilities of pregnant women, mothers, fathers, extended family, community, and practitioners to create conditions for the holistic development of themselves and their children. The goal was to create new knowledge through activities focused on promoting perinatal care and psychosocial adaptability. Cultural safety, an ecosystemic view of child development, and social innovation guided the approach to the intervention.
 Research Design:  A case study approach was used to make sense of and describe the “how to” of the DE.
Data Collection and Analysis: Multiple methods of data collection informed the case study, including observation, field notes, interviews, and participatory evaluation activities.
Findings: The article sheds light on DE as a culturally safe and participatory practice that is compatible with Indigenous perspectives and contributes to supporting the transformation in services provided to Indigenous communities. We present building relationships, creating safe spaces for reflection and dialogue, questioning fundamentals, and co-creation as critical components of culturally safe DE, enabling development and a paradigm shift.
The Book of Why
Authors: Powell Stephen
Published: April 2023

A review of the book The Book of Why: The New Science of Cause and Effect by Judea Pearl and Dana Mackenzie, published in 2018 by Hachette UK.
Evaluation Essentials: From A to Z (2nd ed.)
Authors: Swintal Andrea L
Published: April 2023

A review of the book Evaluation Essentials: From A to Z (2nd ed.) by Marvin C. Alkin and Anne T. Vo, published in 2018 by Guilford Press.
The Birth and Adaptation of Evaluation Theories
Authors: Alkin Marvin C. , Patton Michael Q.
Published: April 2023

Background: Evaluation theories as we know them are prescriptions by prominent evaluators about what they believe to be an appropriate way to conduct  evaluations. How do these prescriptions come about? In this paper we examine the various influences on the creation and subsequent modification of these prescribed evaluation theories. Inquiry into evaluation theories has a long history. What is new is inquiry into the evolution of theories.This makes theory formulation dynamic rather than static. Influences identified by Alkin in a National Society for the Study of Education yearbook (1989) serve as an initial guide to this inquiry. An examination of Michael Q. Patton's writings and shaping experiences provides further case study insights about the evolution of his utilization-focused evaluation theory and its offshoots.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to gain further understanding about the way in which evaluation theories are developed, evolve, and take new directions, and the influences that shape the theorists' understandings and prescriptions.

Setting: Interview discussion with Michael Q. Patton and synthesis of interview data.

Intervention: Not applicable.

Research design: Not applicable.

Data collection & analysis: Not applicable.

Findings: Factors that have influenced Michael Q. Patton’s initial  theory development as well as subsequent modifications, adaptations, and offshoots offer insights into the connection between personal history and professional perspective. Specifically, these factors were: early personal experiences, professional training, interaction with professional colleagues, field evaluation experiences, interaction with non-evaluation academic colleagues and research conducted by Patton.

Keywords: evaluation theory; theory; utilization-focused evaluation; developmental evaluation; principles-focused evaluation.
Concepts and Contexts of Creative Evaluation Approaches
Authors: Christou Elisavet , Owen Violet , Ceyhan Pinar
Published: April 2023

Background: Creative Evaluation (CE) is an unformed constellation of evaluation approaches that is based on varied understandings of creativity. Although creativity in evaluation has been consistently valued and needed by evaluation practitioners and researchers, the use of the term CE is currently limited in its applications as it has been developed inconsistently and often in isolation to the broader evaluation practice. The authors review examples where the term CE is being used, to present this constellation of approaches and group them under concepts and contexts, aiming at fostering an exploration into CE.

Purpose: This paper examines the use of term Creative Evaluation by reviewing a set of examples from varied settings like educational programmes, cultural industries and social work and to present the reader with a better understanding about the contexts and concepts associated with CE. The authors discuss the transdiciplinary nature of evaluation along with a review of historical developments in evaluation theory and practice that help identify the emergence of responsive, flexible and problem-solving driven approaches to evaluation that can showcase a growing connection between creativity and evaluation.

Setting: Not applicable.

Intervention: Not applicable.

Research Design: Desk review was utilised for the preparation of this paper.

Findings: There are different conceptualisations of the term CE applied in a variety of disciplinary and practice contexts. The term CE is used to describe both the process of applying creative thinking and the process of employing creative methods in the evaluation process. Creative thinking indicates a broader application of creativity that shapes the evaluation process and often results in the development of novel methods while creative methods indicate a more targeted use of methods that employ creative practices to achieve a specific evaluation goal like increasing engagement in the evaluation process.

Keywords: creative evaluation; creative methods; creative approaches; transdisciplinary evaluation; evaluation
The Fiefdom Problem
Authors: Scriven Michael
Published: April 2023

This editorial discusses the challenges created when groups and organizations develop their own, often conflicting, definitions and conceptual frameworks in the field of evaluation. Avenues for resolving these issues are presented.
What's Happening in AJE (2003-2004)
Authors: Wingate Lori
Published: April 2023

The article analyzes articles published in the American Journal of Evaluation, developing categories for articles focused on evaluation practice, methods, theory, metatheory, and history.
The Japanese Journal of Evaluation Studies
Authors: Risley John S.
Published: April 2023

An analysis of articles in the Japanese Journal of Evaluation Studies published by the Japanese Evaluation Society. The articles are categorized by topic and type.
Using Multivariate Techniques to Measure the Performance of R&D Programs: A Case Example
Authors: Bourgeouis Isabelle
Published: April 2023

Performance management systems implemented in science-based government organizations have traditionally focused on research inputs and activities, rather than outputs or outcomes. However, recent legislative changes in several countries now require individual programs to report on their progress towards the achievement of organizational and governmental strategic objectives. In a substantive field where peer review remains the standard evaluation method against which scientific success is judged, performance measurement activities have often been articulated around complex techniques taken from the sciences and economics that yield little useful information to key decision makers (Geisler, 2002; McDonald & Teather, 2000; Roessner, 2002).
Evaluation in Spain: Concepts, Contexts, and Networks
Authors: Fernández-Ramírez Baltasar , Rebolloso Enrique
Published: April 2023

Evaluation as a discipline has just started to take hold in Spain, especially since the nineties. More and more research centres, independent consultants, professionals and scholars are devoted to these tasks. However, we lack a unified body of knowledge, there is no shared vision of what evaluation is, nor is there a professional profile recognized by society or even by ourselves. Entry of unqualified persons in the profession is a tangible reality, with many supposed evaluators whose training is limited, in the best of cases, to a specific course, or certain personal experience as participants (not technicians) in some evaluation process, generally in an accreditation system.
Describing what is Special about the Role of Experiments in Contemporary Educational Research?: Putting the “Gold Standard” Rhetoric into Perspective
Authors: Cook Thomas D.
Published: April 2023

These remarks deal with vexing issues of method choice that are currently bedeviling the educational research community as it seeks to ground educational policy decisions in better evidence. Of particular importance are debates in American educational circles about the need for experiments versus multi-method studies, and it is on this issue that we focus here. The remarks are organized around the exposition of a limited number of basic points. The emphasis is on clarity of presentation rather than mellifluous prose.
The Role of Evaluation in Democracy: Can it be Strengthened by Evaluation Standards? A European Perspective
Authors: Beywl Wolfgang
Published: April 2023

Evaluation should make a contribution to the further development of politics and society. Evaluation is itself a productive factor in democratic societies and is obliged to function according to its goals and rules. The general theme around this paper is to discuss possibilities to enhance the contribution that evaluation can make to foster democratic governance. I will address a very small aspect of this big issue. My perspective will be on evaluation as a profession and a community which is on the way to establishing its position in modern democracies, supported by making explicit its own standards for good evaluation practice.
Aotearoa New Zealand Evaluation Association (anzea) is Formed
Authors: Anzea
Published: April 2023

An announcement is made regarding the creation of anzea and its first conference in 2007.
Why Does the Evaluation of Research Need to be Reformed?
Authors: Coryn Chris L. S. , Scriven Michael
Published: April 2023

The evaluation of scientific research already has an extensive and well-structured literature on its objects, motives, methods and procedures, criteria and standards, difficulties, and results. It hardly needs elaborate philosophical underpinnings as there is normally, but not always, a consensus around what is truly important and valuable research. Simultaneously, most governments around the world recognize that current methods for evaluating research for funding purposes are not sufficient for current needs, and they are now funding efforts to find new and improved methods. In the United States alone, as evidenced by the concerns of the American Council on Competitiveness, the initiative of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, and the National Science Foundation’s funding of studies to build a science of science and innovation policy, a primary interest is assessment to understand how to improve research so that it can effectively contribute to national goals. Similar efforts exist throughout Europe, in Japan, and in Korea. In early 2008, a volume of New Directions for Evaluation (NDE), guest edited by myself and Michael Scriven, titled “Reforming the Evaluation of Research” is scheduled for publication. This volume, devoted to reforming the evaluation of research, is intended to contribute to the process of addressing this analytical need. It represents the thinking and work of some of the world’s leading scholars and practitioners who have devoted themselves to improving the way that research is evaluated. Without staking any great claim about reforming research itself, a field of action that has rarely been out of the public eye, ultimately the suggestions found in that volume should indirectly result in increasing the quality of, and payoff from, research that is done, reducing the cost of doing it, and lending public credibility to the manner in which research is funded.
Debating Professional Designations for Evaluators
Authors: Cousins J. Bradley , Cullen Jim , Malik Sumbal , Maicher Brigitte
Published: April 2023

This paper provides a reflective account of a consultation process on professional designations for evaluators initiated and coordinated by the Canadian Evaluation Society (CES). Described are (1) the forces leading CES to generate discussion and debate about professional designations for Canadian evaluators, (2) the process of developing and implementing a request for proposals for a tentative action plan that would serve as a basis for debate, and (3) the subsequent development and implementation of a pan-Canadian, tripartite consultation process that involved CES members, CES Chapter organizations, and partners of the Society (including evaluation users). The paper concludes with reflections on the process and a summation of lessons learned.
“Standard Assessment Framework”: A Proposal to Fill a Gap in the “Paris Declaration”
Authors: Eggers Hellmut W. , Svoboda Daniel
Published: April 2023

Background: The “Paris Declaration” (PD), is a statement by which, in 2005, leading representatives/actors of International Development Cooperation agreed on a series of ways and means with a view to improving aid effectiveness. Among those ways and means, the need for the establishment, by partner countries, of national “Assessment Frameworks” was stressed without, however, alluding to the nature and content of such frameworks. This must be considered a serious gap.
Purpose: The purpose of this article is to make a proposal with a view to filling in this gap and thus to provide Policy and Decision Makers, Program and Project Planners, Implementers and Evaluators as well as Parliaments and other professionally interested quarters, with an operational instrument allowing to seriously enhance chances of realizing the objective of the PD: improving aid-effectiveness.
Setting: Developing countries anywhere and their developed partner countries and partner organizations.
Intervention: The article is addressing the problems and the possibilities of any systematic intervention: Policies, Programs and Projects, designed to further the development of developing countries.
Research Design: The article undertakes to address the problems and opportunities mentioned above by establishing a “Standard Assessment Framework” (SAF) designed to concentrate the minds of all actors on the creation of sustainable benefits for the target groups of development interventions; welding Planning and Evaluation into one single mutually reinforcing system, always to be kept up to date.
Data Collection and Analysis: The SAF has been developed over time by numerous inputs from a great variety of sources and presents, thus, a depository of lessons of experience still open to further inputs and improvements. The templates of members of the “Development Assistance Committee” (DAC) of the Paris based OECD were, i. a., systematically taken into consideration.
Findings: The SAF represents, thus, in a nutshell, the most important findings of interventions too numerous to be mentioned individually or to be tracked. It therefore presents simultaneously, however, a general grid that should structure findings in a much more detailed way, to be consigned to a SAF Data-Base that can be built up on the basis of experiences made in the past and on those accumulating further under current evaluation work.
Program Evaluation Particularly Responsive Evaluation*
Authors: Stake Robert E.
Published: April 2023

Originally published as Paper #5, Occasional Paper Series, November 1975.
* Paper presented at a conference on “New Trends in Evaluation”, Goteborg, Sweden, October, 1973.
Forms and Functions of Participatory Evaluation in International Development: A Review of the Empirical and Theoretical Literature
Authors: Cullen Anne E. , Coryn Chris L. S.
Published: April 2023

Background: Since the late 1970s participatory approaches have been widely promoted to evaluate international development programs. However, there is no universal agreement of what is meant by participatory evaluation.  For some evaluators, participatory evaluations involve the extensive participation of all stakeholder groups (from donor to non-recipients) in every phase of the evaluation (from design to dissemination). For others, the participation of donors in the design constitutes a participatory evaluation approach. Participatory evaluation approaches are best considered on a continuum. In other words, there are many gradations to participation and evaluations should be classified accordingly.  
Purpose: The lack of shared meaning of participatory evaluation approaches also impedes serious discussion on their use including their merits and demerits, suggestions for their improvement, and their overall effectiveness. The purpose of this article is to present an examination of the literature on participatory evaluation approaches to highlight commonalities and differences. 
Setting: Not applicable
Intervention: Not applicable.
Research Design: Not applicable.
Data Collection and Analysis: Desk review.
Findings: This article clearly demonstrates how broadly participatory evaluation is conceptualized and practiced and underscores the clear need for specification and precision when discussing what is meant by participatory evaluation. Recommendations for how evaluators should describe participatory evaluations are provided.
Crafting a Foundation for Evaluating a Worksite Wellness Program
Authors: Hubley Teresa A. , Dutram Kay
Published: April 2023

Background: Businesses have been exposed to many positive accounts of the benefits of employee wellness to improve employee performance as well as reduce health and injury claims costs for the employer. However, many do not have the tools or experience to effectively demonstrate the benefits of a workplace wellness program for their own management and other stakeholders.
Purpose: This paper presents a) basic components for evaluating a workplace wellness program, b) observations gleaned from evaluating a wellness project, and c) a design for a simple evaluation system that provides information about the efficacy of the wellness program and establishes a foundation for more formal wellness program evaluation.
Setting: Maine
Intervention: Evaluating a wellness program and creating a system of measures for a sustainable evaluation system.
Research Design: Steps in wellness program evaluation are delineated (common definitions, evaluation design, i.e., logic model, data collection tools, data collection, comparison analyses, and ROI) and carried out. Particulars for a sustainable wellness program evaluation are rendered.
Data Collection and Analysis: We describe how to apply the process and measurements depicted in the logic model. We illustrate a method for calculating return on investment (determine the ratio of known wellness program costs to decreases in injury claims costs and sick leave costs).  We recommend components for a sustainable evaluation system based on our experience in actualizing the logic model.  
Findings: Applying the analyses we found positive benefits of employee wellness in our Maine DOT case. Workers’ compensation hours claims dropped from 875 hours in 2006, to 236 hours in 2007. Strains contributed roughly 17% of the overall injury costs reported for all three years, and almost one third of the costs for 2005.  We computed a four-year ROI of $2.90.  To help establish regular and routine wellness program evaluation we describe and recommend additional data sources and measurement points.
From Theory to Practice: A Path Through Imperfection-Lessons from Policy Oriented Environment and Health Research in Belgium
Authors: Keune Hans , Morrens Bert , Loots Ilse , Springael Johan
Published: April 2023

Background: Dealing with complex issues per definition bears the burden of imperfection. Whatever comforting theoretical concepts may promise, real life complexity will take its messy toll once travelling from conceptual ambition to real life practice. We specifically reflect on the social scientific contribution to these inter- and transdisciplinary endeavours.
Purpose: We reflect on how social scientific research has tried to find its way in complex real life research practice in the field of environment and health and specifically focus on the challenges posed by the imperfections we encountered. 
Setting: Two case studies in the field of environment and health in Belgium. One case study focuses on policy interpretation of research results. The other focuses on a selection of research priorities.
Intervention: Not applicable.
Research Design: Not applicable.
Data Collection and Analysis: inter- and transdisciplinary research and multi-criteria analysis
Findings: Resulting from our practical experiences we present a typology of imperfections: imperfect information, imperfect expert assessment, imperfect processing of incommensurable data, imperfect socio-political weighing/deliberation and reflection on imperfection. As easy as it seems to design processes of structuring complex issues and decision making in which involvement of a relevant diversity of actors and factors is considered praiseworthy, as complicated it is, as we have shown, in practice to organize and live up to expectations. In judging the quality of this endeavour, diverse theoretical yardsticks maybe applied that will not necessarily do justice to the practical complications of research practice. The concepts of abduction, intersubjectivity and transferability, offer interesting qualitative notions of pragmatic approaches that seem relevant to our work.
Evaluating the Due Process and Crime Control Perspectives Using Rasch Measurement Analysis
Authors: Edkins Vanessa A. , Royal Kenneth D.
Published: April 2023

Background: The biases jurors possess may influence everything from the interpretation of case evidence to impressions of the defendant to, ultimately, verdict and recognition of this has led to a number of juror attitude scales attempting to tap into important biases. A common ideology discussed in legal research is that individuals attitudes toward the law and the legal system differ along a continuum moving from due process (a concern for the preservation of individual rights) to crime control (a focus on swift and harsh punishment for those who break the law) although an agreed upon assessment of these perspectives has yet to be created.
Purpose: The current research addresses due process and crime control perspectives and uses the ideology as a source for a new measure of juror bias: The General Attitudes toward the Legal System (GALS) scale.
Setting: Not applicable.
Intervention: Not applicable.
Research Design: The GALS scale was constructed based on existing theory and administered to nearly 700 undergraduate psychology students at a large Midwestern university. The psychometric properties of the instrument were then evaluated to determine instrument quality.
Data Collection and Analysis: The Rasch Rating Scale Model (RRSM) was used to evaluate the psychometric properties of the GALS. Evaluation focused on six characteristics of the instrument: dimensionality, reliability, rating scale quality, item quality, item hierarchy, and measure quality.
Findings: Results indicate the GALS is a psychometrically sound instrument for measuring juror bias.
Investigating the Efficacy of a Professional Development Program in Formative Classroom Assessment in Middle School English Language Arts and Mathematics
Authors: Schneider M. Christina , Meyer J. Patrick
Published: April 2023

Background: Teachers who engage in formative classroom assessment using practices that accurately measure student learning should be better positioned to diagnose the instructional needs of their students and to act on that information. For this reason, there has been increased interest in formative classroom assessment in recent years. Although some researchers have found indications that some assessment practices may raise student achievement, evaluations of professional development programs designed to increase teacher assessment skill have not found differences in student performance. However, few studies of this type have been performed. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the efficacy of a professional development program in formative classroom assessment on teacher assessment knowledge and their students’ achievement. Setting: The professional development program was implemented in state-identified, low performing middle schools from November 2005 through April 2008. Intervention: Researchers investigated a professional development program for teachers designed to increase their skill in creating and using assessments to support student learning. In Year 1, the professional development was implemented by an assessment coach in the treatment schools. No professional development was provided in the control schools. In Years 2 and 3, levels of treatment were investigated such that the professional development was implemented by an assessment coach or a relatively untrained facilitator. Research Design: Year 1 involved a multi-site, cluster randomized trial where schools were randomly assigned to either the treatment or control group. Year 2 and Year 3 involved a quasi-experimental design. Data Collection and Analysis: Researchers collected pretest and posttest teacher measures and analyzed the data using a split-plot ANOVA each year. Summative large scale assessment data was collected for students and analyzed using hierarchical linear modeling (HLM). Findings: Findings from this study indicate that the professional development program increased teacher assessment skill regardless of whether the program was implemented with a trained assessment coach or a relatively untrained facilitator. However, students of teachers participating in the professional development tended to demonstrate lower achievement than a matched set of students whose teachers did not receive the professional development. Implications for how teachers use assessment data to guide reteaching are discussed. Keywords: formative assessment; classroom assessment; student achievement
Mapping the Applications of Vehicular Communications in the Context of Smart Maritime Ports
Authors: Haidine Abdelfatteh , El Idrissi Ayoub , Ait-Allal Abdelmoula , Dahbi Aziz , Aqqal Abdelhak
Published: April 2023

The maritime transport networks play a critical and major role in an increasingly globalized world economy. Within these networks, the maritime ports play the role of hubs. Any disturbances in these hubs will negatively affect the worldwide economy. Therefore, economy players are transforming the ports through an evolutionary process to become smart maritime ports. These smart ports are built through an ensemble of smart domains that adopt sensing, data transmission, and data intelligence to support intelligent decision-making processes. Examples of such smart domains include smart grid/microgrids, smart container management, and smart/automatized terminal operations. In each of these domains, optimal decisions must be met to optimize the use of resources, increase the economy efficiency of the ports, and increase the safety and security for assets, goods, and people. In smart maritime port environment, vehicular applications are adopted everywhere, such as automated guided vehicles to transport containers, unmanned aerial vehicles for different port operations, etc. In this work, we discuss some concrete examples of these vehicular applications in the smart port environment and suggest the adequate and optimal vehicular communication technologies to be deployed to support a reliable data transmission for these applications.