Collaborative evaluation of a volunteer monitoring program to improve group homes for adults with mental retardation.

This report describes an evaluation study of a volunteer monitoring program designed to improve the quality of life in group homes for adults with mental retardation. Special attention is given to the evaluation researchers' efforts to collaborate with the volunteer monitors to develop valid measures and a research design that would minimize the inherent threats to validity (e.g., selection biases). Initial results noted (a) the frequency in which 257 volunteers monitored 248 group homes in Michigan and (b) the homes that were visited three or more times over the course of this study had lower normalization levels than the home visited only once or twice. The impact of the program was tested using a repeated measures design with a subsample of 79 homes that were monitored on at least four occasions. The evaluation results suggested that frequent monitoring was associated with improvements in the homes' decor, the residents' appearance, and the social interaction styles in the homes.