Citation

Brisson J, Pekelny I, Ungar M. Eval. Program Plann. 2019; 79: e101747.

Affiliation

Resilience Research Centre, Dalhousie University, 6420 Coburg Road, PO Box 15000, Halifax, B3H 4R2, Canada. Electronic address: michael.ungar@dal.ca.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2019, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.evalprogplan.2019.101747

PMID

31765908

Abstract

This article reflects on common challenges and lessons learned during the evaluation of gang prevention programs based on case studies of three federally funded Canadian programs. Elements of evaluation design, implementation, data analysis and reporting of results are discussed. More specifically, the article highlights issues that occur when evaluating community projects focused on preventing extreme risks for violence and the complexity of working in potentially dangerous and/or unstable work environments. Topics covered include the problem with quasi-experimental designs, model fidelity adherence, program documentation, client recruitment and retention, and data collection. Recommendations are provided to improve evaluations of youth gang prevention programs and similar community-based interventions that focus on the prevention of youth violence.

Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Language: en

Keywords

Comparative case studies; Evaluation; Evaluation challenges; Model fidelity; Most significant change; Quasi-experimental design; Youth gang prevention; Youth violence prevention