Evaluation of the project P.A.T.H.S. using multiple evaluation strategies

To give a comprehensive and all-round evaluation of the Tier 1 Program of the Project P.A.T.H.S., an evaluation design incorporating the elements of post-positivism and pragmatism was proposed. There were several emphases in the evaluation design: use of multiple evaluation strategies, use of multiple outcome indicators, capturing the views of different stakeholders including program participants and implementers, collection of quantitative and qualitative data, inclusion of process and outcome evaluation, and evaluation at different time points. Several evaluation strategies including objective outcome evaluation, subjective outcome evaluation, process evaluation, qualitative evaluation based on focus groups, student weekly diaries and in-depth interviews, and repertory grid test evaluation were carried out to evaluate the Tier 1 Program of the Project P.A.T.H.S. in Hong Kong.