Abstract
M.A.
The treatment of substance abuse remains a challenging process with relapse an ever-present
risk. For those offering treatment within this field, such as the South African National Council on
Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (SANCA), it is of cardinal importance to evaluate the outcomes
of their interventions. Currently, there is no quantifiable and standardised method that SANCA can
use to establish and assess how the actual outcomes of their programmes compare to their
intended programme goals.
Kranz and O’Hare (2006) argue for the evaluation of substance abuse treatment programmes
through the use of scales to quantify various aspects of the treatment process which can then
serve as a measure of its effectiveness. Effectiveness in this instance refers broadly to a patient’s
maintenance of his/her sobriety for a period of 12 months or more, combined with an increase in
his/her general functioning. Therefore, this study aims to demonstrate the technically complex
process of developing a content valid framework for a scale on behalf of SANCA that adheres to
their requirements for programme evaluation. The study is guided by an adapted model of
ecometric scale development presented schematically by Faul and Hudson (1999). Through the
use of a grounded theory approach, the study shows how to identify the expectations for a scale in
the organisation and organise SANCA’s treatment strategy into a framework within which the areas
of measurement can be placed. The study then demonstrates the construction of operational
assessment areas through empirical data collection that adequately reflects such expectations. It
also serves to test for content validity of the assessment areas, through the application of domain
sampling theory. The study reveals the process undertaken to convert those assessment areas
into constructs by conceptualising and operationalising them into working definitions. Lastly,
drawing on those defined constructs, it populates a series of exemplar items designed for
illustrative purposes.