Evaluating the process of introducing a thinking skills programme into the secondary school curriculum

The first stage of a long-term, cyclic evaluation of one secondary school's introduction of a cognitive skills development programme into its mainstream curriculum is described. A traditional research design is rejected in favour of a more open-ended, semi-structured framework for evaluation within which aspects of the setting, the plans, the action and initial results are scrutinized. Important issues are raised about what might be considered positive outcomes of cognitive interventions and how these can be achieved. The broader and more long-term aspects of evaluation are also emphasized.