Richard R. Kilburg

Metaphysics and professional resistance to program evaluation

One of the most common and most difficult problems confronting program evaluators is the resistance they encounter when attempting to implement evaluation efforts. The philosophical and psychological foundations of this resistance are explored. Problems in the evaluative paradigm are presented. Value differences between evaluators and practitioners are highlighted. Emotional bases for practitioner behavior are clarified and types and loci of resistance are outlined. Suggestions for coping strategies are discussed.

Consumer Survey as Needs Assessment Method: A Case Study.

Needs assessment methodology has grown remarkably as a necessary part of evaluating human service programs. The consumer survey method of needs assessment is reviewed. A case study in which the training needs of board members of the eleven community mental health agencies in a rural New England state were examined by a questionnaire requesting ratings of the importance and priority of 11 possible topics is presented. Sixty-five of 300 questionnaires were returned (21.66%). The results clearly support the view that training programs for boards are needed, and suggest that citizens can make reasonable decisions about program content if given the opportunity. A training project, based on the results of the survey is described. Problems in designing and implementing consumer surveys and training programs are discussed.

Scanning the human service environment: A pilot study

The Organizational Interaction Scale (OIS) was used in this study to delineate the patterns of interaction between forty organizations in a defined community. Significant differences were found between four subgroups of organizations (Churches, Schools, Social Service Organizations, and Social Organizations) on the summed ratings on OIS Items for the total sample and on all four subgroups of organizations. A pattern of significant correlations indicated high internal consistency for the OIS. The instrument offers a cost effective way for human service agencies to examine their interorganizational network.

A Professional’s Guide to the American Psychological Association

On July 8, 1892, G. Stanley Hall convened a meeting of eighteen psychologists who met at Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts, to share knowledge and to form a national organization to promote and support the science of psychology. The first annual meeting of the new organization took place on December 17, 1892. Twenty-six charter members and five newly elected ones provided the human foundation of the American Psychological Association (APA).

The Psychologist as a Manager

Graduate education in psychology exposes a professional to a broad range of conceptual models concerning human behavior, strategies and technologies for the conduct of psychological research, and various techniques for assessment and therapeutic intervention. The knowledge of ethics, standards, professional practices, and operating in the human service environment are among the topics to which students are least exposed during their training, yet internships and course content typically provide some experience. It is, however, a rare student who finishes training with anything but the vaguest possible notion about management.