Consequences of survey modification in a program evaluation: An exploratory research on evaluation study

Abstract

The purpose of this exploratory research on evaluation study was to examine how modified and unmodified scales of critical thinking and interest in science careers would affect the evaluation conclusions. Surveys measuring various outcomes that are used in program evaluation are frequently modified from their original versions in response to the unique context of programs. Modifying existing published surveys by removing or adding items can affect the psychometric properties of the original scale and may produce differing results. The results of the comparisons found that unmodified and modified surveys had similar reliabilities; however, one of the scales produced contradictory evaluation findings. Lessons learned from this study suggest that scales can be modified in evaluation, but great care is needed to address the potential strengths and limitations of the modified scale and balance the technical needs with responsiveness to program context.