Using Evaluation and Research Theory to Improve Programs in Applied Settings: An Interview with Thomas D. Cook

Designing and improving programs that serve clients in real-life or applied settings is a formidable challenge. The problems and pitfalls that await unsuspecting program designers who seek to evaluate the impact of their work on young people or adults are legion. In the past, educators and social scientists looked to formal research design strategies to more adequately solve the questions of impact and benefit. Yet the approach often has proven to be too narrow and unwieldly in the complex, real-life context common to programs serving children or adolescents at school or home. To explore these issues more fully and seek answers to key questions confronting educators who design programs for gifted and talented students, JEG interviewed Thomas D. Cook, Ph.D., Professor of Psychology and Research Fellow at the Center for Urban Studies, Northwestern University. Professor Cook has authored numerous books and articles regarding the use of research and evaluation theory and design, including the classic textbook in the field, Quasi-experimentation: Design and analysis issues in field settings with Donald Campbell.