Walden COUN6204A Week 2 Assignment Interpreting Data Latest 2022

COUN 6204A Week 2 Assignment Interpreting Data

In order to interpret assessment results, future counselors need to be familiar with basic statistics, which are also referred to as principles of assessment. For example, counselors must understand what the mean is. The mean is the sum of the scores divided by the number of scores. The symbol n refers to the number of participants in the sample. Standard deviations represent the amount of variability within a data set. The variability between a specific score and the mean represents deviation.

Once counselors understand the basic principles of assessment, they can use that knowledge to interpret and understand the results of a pretest/posttest assessment (time-spaced testing). With time-spaced testing, counselors can measure the change between pretest and posttest data. These data can be extremely helpful for both looking at individuals' pre- and posttest gains and comparing groups after treatment.

For this Assignment, review Table 2 from the Roberts-Lewis et al. (2010) article, which includes pretest and posttest scores from the Multidimensional Adolescent Assessment Scales (MAAS)

In a 2- to 3-page APA-formatted paper, include the following:

•             An explanation of the group that demonstrated the best gain with regard to problems with families

•             An explanation of how the HEART program was effective in improving personal functioning of participants

•             A brief description of your position on the effectiveness of the HEART program for incarcerated adolescent clients who use substances. Justify your response with support from the Learning Resources and other scholarly sources.

•             Brief descriptions of at least one strength and one limitation of your understanding and interpretation of the principles of assessment

Table 2

Assessing Change in Psychosocial Functioning of Incarcerated Girls with a Substance Use Disorder: Gender Sensitive Substance Abuse Intervention