The Role of the Researcher in Evaluating American Indian Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Prevention Programs

This chapter defines the role and responsibilities of researchers who are asked to evaluate alcohol and other drug (AOD) programs in American Indian communities and settings. Building on the framework provided in the previous chapter, it identifies the various conceptual, methodological, and procedural problems that evaporators may encounter in settings that are culturally different from their own. Topics such as gaining access, measurement equivalence, report writing, and dissemination of results are given specific attention. The chapter also highlights those factors that can assist in bridging the gap between those responsible for designing an evaluation protocol and those charged with designing and implementing prevention programs, and concludes that evaluation planning must be integrated into the planning of AOD programs in Indian communities

Gender and Ethnic Differences in Adolescent Self-Esteem in Alcohol and Other Drug Use Research: A Rasch Measurement Model Analysis

A few years ago the senior author of this chapter was invited to attend several evening meetings of American Indian parents, community leaders, and alcohol and other drug (AOD) use specialists held at a community center on a nearby reservation. The meetings were initiated in response to an alarming increase in AOD-related problems occurring among many of the community\u27s youth. Over the course of these meetings, parents and community leaders offered many suggestions for dealing with the problems; these suggestions often led to lengthy and sometimes heated debates. As one can imagine, there was considerable anger expressed at those who provided AODs to young people and at the physical and psychological damage created by the youth while in their intoxicated states. For many residents, though, defining the problem and its solution was straightforward: the young people had a problem with their self-esteem, and AOD abuse would decline if they felt better about themselves. The belief that most youth, especially\u27 those of ethnic minority background, engage in AOD use because of problems with their self esteem is a common one in many communities across the country including many American Indian communities

An Analysis of Native and Transfer Characteristics as Expressed in 1995 CIRP Survey Findings

Though this report will deal mostly with the differences between transfers and native freshmen, their most important similarity should be mentioned first: both cohorts were new to Western; both were expected to confront unfamiliar surroundings and experiences. This basic fact is, from an administrative point of view, also one of extreme importance. The primary reason for the development of the Transitions program and for the continuing use of summer and freshmen orientation programs was to improve the University\u27s efficiency. Numerous assessment reports have indicated that there can never be too much advising. Findings support what common sense would intuit: the sooner students choose a major, the clearer administrative expectations are delineated, the better chance there is that they will graduate in an expeditions manner. Administratively, it is no longer a simple matter of providing students with an outstanding educational experience. State mandates now demand that that outstanding education be delivered as expediently as possible. More students are queued up at our doors and Western must find ways to accommodate them. To meet these expectations, efficiency becomes paramount. Yet in order to work efficiently, the subject matter must be understood. In the case of the University, the subject is students, and what administrators need to understand is what these students look like. Quantified information on native freshmen is abundant. Much less information exists for transfers. Hopefully, this report will begin to address that information gap

Profile of the 1997 Freshman Class at Western: Comparative Trends and Patterns with a National Sample

Presentation of selected findings from Cooperative Institutional Research Program (CIRP) survey of first-time, in-coming freshmen. The CIRP is administered nationally by the Higher Education Research Institute (HERI). In the report, some national/local comparisons

1994 Follow-up of 1985 Western Washington University Freshmen

Executive Summary: In 1994, first-time in-coming frosh who entered Western Washington University in 1985 were resurveyed. Survey administered were able to contact and receive completed survey forms from 85 of the original1180 frosh who filled out a CIRP (frosh) survey at Western in 1985. Though the number of participants nine years later was small compared to the original sample, it was also fairly representative. The gender ratio between the two years was nearly identical, as was ethnicity. Most of the class of 1985 had partners in 1994 (74.1%), though only half reported being married (50.2%). A majority had not had children (83.1%), and most were employed full-time or part-time by choice (93.0%). Most survey respondents (81.7%) indicated they would definitely or probably would reenroll at Western. Over three-quarters of the class of 1985 were satisfied or very satisfied with their jobs overall, though males and females were not always in agreement as to their level of satisfaction with various aspects of their jobs. Females from the class of 1985, for instance, were more likely to be satisfied with job security, working conditions, and child care services, while males were more likely to be satisfied with the opportunity for training/schooling, the competency of coworkers, and income. Males from the class of 1985 had higher (current) incomes than females (72.2% of males were earning between $20-50 thousand dollars; 73.4$15-40 thousand dollars). Survey respondents worked mostly in the business field (30.7%) or in education (10.1%). Most felt their undergraduate majors were either closely or somewhat related to their job. Very few indicated that their undergraduate majors were not related to their jobs. Most of the class of 1985 indicated that Western had prepared them very well or well for their current or most recent job. Very few felt that Western had not prepared them well for their current or most recent job. Survey respondents were asked which work skills they considered to be essential or very important. The highest percentages were noted for interpersonal skills, the ability to work independently, and ability to work cooperatively. The importance of cooperativeness and its counterpoint, the ability to work independently, were characteristics that employers, too, rated highly. In a 1991 OIAT survey, employee characteristics considered by employers to be most important included the ability to cooperate with others, as well as the ability to work well independently without supervision

Profile of the 1996 Freshman Class at Western: Comparative Trends and Patterns with a National Sample

Presentation of selected findings from Cooperative Institutional Research Program (CIRP) survey of first-time, in-coming freshmen. The CIRP is administered nationally by the Higher Education Research Institute (HERI). In the report, some national/local comparisons

A Profile of the 1998 Freshman Class at Western: Comparative Trends and Patterns with a National Sample

Presentation of selected findings from Cooperative Institutional Research Program (CIRP) survey of first-time, in-coming freshmen. The CIRP is administered nationally by the Higher Education Research Institute (HERI). In the report, some national/local comparisons

Institutional Assessment at Western Washington University for the 1993-1995 Biennium: November, 1993

Foreword and Overview The following report is a summary of the status of the projects and activities generated from Western Washington University\u27s Office of lnstitutional Assessment and Testing (OIAT) during the last quarter of the 1991-1993 biennium. A summary of significant activities and outcomes that have occurred since 1989 precedes the plan. The report also contains a list of assessment activities projected to occur during the 1993-1995 biennium; a few of the projects have already been initiated. The projected activities for the 1993-1995 biennium represent a partial list. Other projects will be added during the two-year period that will be stimulated by outcomes generated from on-going studies, recommendations from existing academic and student services committees, and directions and policies emanating from the Provost\u27s and President\u27s I offices at WWU, the Higher Education Coordinating Board, and the legislature. Projects and activities are presented in two sections. Section A contains a list of OIAT\u27s projects organized according to the HECB\u27s general assessment categories; a summary paragraph follows each activity describing the nature of the research or project. Section B contains a lengthy series of one page detailed descriptions of the activities that includes, among several pieces of information, the projected budget amounts scheduled to be dedicated to each activity. A summary of the projected budget expenditures for the 1993-1994 fiscal year appears at the end of this report. I Summary of Assessment Activities at Western Washington University- 1989 to 1993 Since 1989, the point when institutional assessment became an organizational unit at Western, the OIAT has produced over 25 technical reports, several data-based memoranda, and instituted an InfoFact series of brief summaries of assessment findings. Over the course of the past four-and-a-half years Western\u27s activities assessment activities have been driven by the following: 1) What do we look like as an institution and how can we improve the quality of the academic and sociocultural climate? 2) What factors contribute to general and specific changes in Western students development, attitudes, knowledge, and skills? 3) How can we enrich classroom and instructional experiences to advance and promote effective learning? 4) How successful is each component of the curricular and program activities and what changes are produced from the implementation of recommended changes? and 5) What are we like as an institution and what is the effect of administrative decisions on policy, the overall climate, faculty, students, parents, alumni, boards, and agencies

Institutional Assessment at Western Washington University for the 1991-1993 Biennium: Final Report, April 30, 1993

The following report is a final summary of Western Washington University\u27s institutional assessment plan for the 1991-1993 biennium. The projects and activities listed on the separate sheets are completed or are very near completion. In addition, many of the office\u27s activities and projects are on-going and continuous. It should be pointed out that results from some of Western\u27s Office of Institutional Assessment and Testing\u27s (OIAT\u27s) projects stimulated ideas that led to follow-up research and evaluation; therefore, the OIAT continues to expect some of its anticipated findings to lead to additional research which will become pan of the plan in the next biennium. Nonetheless, the OIAT, through discussions with WWU\u27s faculty, staff, and administration, is identifying and discussing expedient and feasible areas of exploration in the assessment area