Development of a fostering purpose intervention

Brian R. Riches, Celina M. Benavides and Valeska X. Dubon

Evaluation and Program Planning, 2020, vol. 83, issue C

Abstract: Evolutionary Evaluation is a framework for understanding the evolution of programs. Just as programs grow and develop, so can standalone interventions. This paper focused on building and evaluating a purpose intervention to scaffold adolescents and young adults’ search for purpose. Four studies were conducted at each phase of the intervention’s lifespan to assess if modifications were needed and to test the viable validity of using online activities to increase both the search for and the discovery of a purpose in life. These studies can be viewed through the lens of the Evolutionary Evaluation framework. Study 1 evaluated the intervention at its initiation phase, which consisted of developing and testing the intervention activities. Study 2 tested the intervention during the development phase to determine which activities most effectively increased rates of purpose. Study 3 evaluated the intervention in its stability phase by experimentally testing all activities together in a full curriculum via Amazon’s Mechanical Turk. Finally, study 4 assessed the dissemination of the intervention by testing the full curriculum with over 500 high school and college students. These studies suggest that the fostering purpose intervention cultivated purpose among adolescents and young adults. Additionally, the success of the intervention demonstrates that the Evolutionary Evaluation framework may be an effective model with which to develop an intervention, from initiation through dissemination phases.

Keywords: Purpose in life; Evolutionary evaluation; Positive psychology intervention; Adolescents; Young adults; Open educational resource (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:epplan:v:83:y:2020:i:c:s0149718920301610

DOI: 10.1016/j.evalprogplan.2020.101857

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