Document treatment implementation and contrast

SEER Standards

• Researchers must document how, and the context within which, the treatment was implemented.
• Researchers must document the counterfactual condition(s), including its context.
• Researchers must measure the essential elements of the treatment contrast between the treatment and control conditions.
• Researchers must measure the fidelity of an intervention's implementation.

Recommendation

• Researchers should document, and identify opportunities to learn from, adaptations of the intervention that were observed during implementation.

Resources

• Read the NCEE Publication Conducting Implementation Research in Impact Studies of Education Interventions: A Guide for Researchers, by Hill, Scher, Haimson, and Granito (2023).
• View the archived webinar on Conducting Implementation Research in Impact Studies of Education Interventions: A Guide for Researchers

What We're Reading

Hamilton, G. & Scrivener, S. (2018). Measuring treatment contrast in randomized controlled trials. MDRC Working Paper. Retrieved from https://www.mdrc.org/sites/default/files/MTC_Paper_MDRC_WEBSITE_VERSION.pdf

Lemons, C. J., Fuchs, D., Gilbert, J. K., & Fuchs, L. S. (2014). Evidence-based practices in a changing world: Reconsidering the counterfactual in education research. Educational Researcher, 43(5), 242–252. https://doi.org/10.3102%2F0013189X14539189

Weiss, M., Bloom H. S., & Brock, T. (2014). A conceptual framework for studying the sources of variation in program effects. Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, 33(3), 778-808. https://doi.org/10.1002/pam.21760

Last Modified: June 10, 2021