Use of Comparison Group Designs in Transition Studies

Abstract

Only a small percentage of studies on transition from school into the adult community use comparison group designs. The purpose of this article is to provide some examples of transition studies using true experimental and quasi-experimental control group designs for documenting the effectiveness of transition demonstration models, new curricula, and training strategies. All of these designs control for all or most of the potential threats to internal validity, and thus, allow one to confidently attribute the student outcomes to the program or educational intervention. The use of a comprehensive evaluation methodology for demonstrating program effectiveness and establishing educational validity is strongly encouraged.