Evaluating Outcomes in a Substance Abuse Training Program for Southeast Asian Human Service Workers: Problems in Measuring Change Cross-Culturally

Abstract

The following article describes the evaluation challenges faced in a cross-cultural substance abuse training program. Non-Southeast Asian instructors designed and taught courses for Cambodian and Vietnamese human service workers over a two-year period. Although cultural considerations were a central focus in the design of the program, instructors underestimated the difficulty of modifying standard questionnaires for use with Southeast Asian participants. As a consequence, the formal evaluation process had limited benefit but several insights were gleaned through alternative evaluation methods.