Evidence About Convergent and Discriminant Validity of the Components of Fidelity of Implementation in a Science-Teacher Professional Development Project.

Lawton, Brian E.

Evidence About Convergent and Discriminant Validity of the Components of Fidelity of Implementation in a Science-Teacher Professional Development Project.

Files

2017-12-phd-lawton.pdf (1.19 MB)

Date

2017-12

Authors

Lawton, Brian E.

Department

Educational Psychology

Abstract

Many evaluation theorists, methodologists, and practitioners have concluded that measuring fidelity of implementation is an essential element in program evaluation studies. Evaluators must not only be able to present evidence of a program’s effectiveness but also must present evidence about how a program worked. Research about fidelity of implementation to date has mostly focused on identifying, defining, and determining how best to measure fidelity of implementation. However, the research has not fully explored the relationships among the different components of fidelity of implementation and the extent to which they are distinct from each other. Understanding these relationships has implications for how we conceptualize fidelity of implementation, what needs to be considered when developing fidelity of implementation measures, and ultimately what components of fidelity of implementation are the best predictors of positive study outcomes. The goal of this correlational study was to provide a systematic examination of the interrelationships among four of the primary components of fidelity of implementation. Fidelity of implementation data were collected from instruments used to evaluate a small-scale inquiry-based science professional development project. The data were organized into a multitrait-multimethod matrix to examine the convergent and discriminant validity of each of the components. The results provide mixed evidence about the relationships among, and distinctness of, the components. The findings suggest that the methods of measurement, the extent to which the components were represented on multiple instruments, and the level of the teachers’ understanding of the components affected the extent to which convergent and discriminant validity could be shown. The findings contribute to the research and evaluation literature by providing insight into underreported components of fidelity of implementation, their relationships to each other, and what researchers and evaluators need to consider when collecting fidelity of implementation data.

Keywords

fidelity of implementation, multitrait-multimethod matrix, convergent validity, discriminant validity, inquiry-based science professional development

URI

http://hdl.handle.net/10125/62369

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Ph.D. - Educational Psychology

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