Have We Reached Consensus on Implementation Fidelity in Evaluation Practice?

• In Event: Research on Evaluation Capacity Building and Practice

Abstract

Definitions, models, and tools for assessing implementation fidelity abound. Accordingly, consensus remains elusive, and the call for unification persists (e.g. Cordray & Pion, 2006; O’Donnell, 2008). As an initial step toward answering the call for unification, this paper presents on the results of a content analysis. Research questions include: how has fidelity been defined in published, peer-reviewed literature, and what models and tools for evaluating fidelity have resulted from definitions? References were gathered in a systematic search using an index of search terms associated with fidelity. An article coding protocol helped to summarize the literature as a means to answer research questions. Despite calls for a unified approach, results confirm that fidelity definitions, criteria, and tools continue to differ.

Authors

• Bianca Montrosse-Moorhead, University of Connecticut

• Kristen Juskiewicz, University of Connecticut

• Eva Yujia Li, University of Connecticut