Perspectivas metodológicas en la medición de los efectos de un programa de intervención con adolescentes: la evaluación pretest-postest y los cuestionarios de evaluación del programa

Abstract

The purpose of this study is three-fold: 1) to show the characteristics of a program carried out with adolescents; 2) to analyze the effects of the intervention in factors of socio-emotional development by means of the questionnaires to evaluate the program; and 3) to compare the results obtained when evaluating the program with two assessment  methodologies (pre-posttest experimental assessment and questionnaires to evaluate the program). The sample is made up of 174 adolescents from 12 to 14 years of age, 125 in the experimental group and 49 controls. The study uses an experimental multi-group pre-posttest design with repeated measures and control groups. The results suggest that pre-posttest assessment is more suitable when the goal is to validate the intervention, whereas the questionnaires are useful as screening instruments. The results obtained in the questionnaires completed by adolescents and adults were very coherent. Moreover, high convergence was confirmed between the results of the pre-posttest assessment and
those of the questionnaires. The positive effects of the program on diverse factors of socioemotional development are observed with both methodologies: communication, positive social behaviors, cooperation, empathy, self-concept, concept of companions, negative social behaviors, and prejudices.