Review of participant training evaluation studies

participant training (PT) activities, this study reviews 206 evaluations and related documents on PT over a 30-year period and from all A.I.D. geographic areas. The study showed relatively limited PT activity during the 1970's (due in part to A.I.D.'s preoccupation with Vietnam and to the Congressional mandate to reach the "poorest of the poor"), increasing PT activity in Africa and the Near East, and, with three notable exceptions, that the evaluation of PT has focused on operational issues rather than on PT's long-term effectiveness. The 141 specific recommendations contained in the documentation were classified into 12 categories representing the program's major features - orientation; A.I.D. management; training design, strategy, and location; re-entry and follow-up; support services at training site; participant selection and placement; English-language training; complementary programs; and research and evaluation. An annotated bibliography of the documentation was developed and has been published separately. (Author abstract, modified)