1st Edition

Goal Attainment Scaling Applications, Theory, and Measurement

Edited By Thomas J. Kiresuk, Aaron Smith, Joseph E. Cardillo Copyright 1994
    326 Pages
    by Psychology Press

    There is an extensive literature on Goal Attainment Scaling (GAS), but the publications are widely scattered and often inaccessible, covering several foreign countries and many professional disciplines and fields of application. This book provides both a user manual and a complete reference work on GAS, including a comprehensive account of what the method is, what its strengths and limitations are, how it can be used, and what it can offer. The book is designed to be of interest to service providers, program directors and administrators, service and business organizations, program evaluators, researchers, and students in a variety of fields.

    No previous account of GAS has provided an up-to-date, comprehensive description and explanation of the technique. The chapters include a basic "how to do it" handbook, step-by-step implementation instructions, frequently occurring problems and what should be done about them, methods for monitoring the quality of the goal setting process, and a discussion of policy and administration issues. There are many illustrations from actual applications including examples of goals scaled for the individual, the specific program, the agency, or the total system. Procedures for training and estimates of training costs are also provided.

    Contents: B.W. Brown, Jr., Foreword. R.F. Rich, Foreword. Preface. A. Smith, Introduction and Overview. J.E. Cardillo, R.O. Choate, Illustrations of Goal Setting. J.E. Cardillo, Goal Setting, Follow-Up, and Goal Monitoring. T.J. Kiresuk, R.O. Choate, Applications of Goal Attainment Scaling. T.J. Kiresuk, R.O. Choate, J.E. Cardillo, N. Larsen, Training in Goal Attainment Scaling. T.J. Kiresuk, S.H. Lund, Implementing Goal Attainment Scaling. T.J. Kiresuk, Historical Perspective. T.J. Kiresuk, Conceptual Background. J.E. Cardillo, A. Smith, Psychometric Issues. J.E. Cardillo, A. Smith, Reliability of Goal Attainment Scores. A. Smith, J.E. Cardillo, Perspectives on Validity. Appendices: J.E. Cardillo, Summary Score Conversion Key. R.E. Sherman, Keeping Follow-Up Guides on Target. T.J. Kiresuk, Afterword.

    Biography

    Thomas J. Kiresuk, Aaron Smith, Jospeh E. Cardillo

    "...a comprehensive guide for therapists interested in measuring progress for clients. It is well written and covers psychometric issues in an easy-to-read fashion, making them simple for first-year graduate students to digest....Graduate students and therapists in the field could benefit from some or all of the book."
    Contemporary Psychology