The use of concept mapping for assessing fidelity of model transfer: An example from psychiatric rehabilitation

Assessing the fidelity with which program models are transferred from program designers to program staff is essential for testing and disseminating program theory. Technologies for assessing fidelity are not well developed. Concept mapping techniques may be used to identify the key conceptual domains that define a program and the structural relationships among these domains. In this paper, concept mapping is used to assess the fidelity of an experimental program model for persons who are street dwelling and psychiatrically disabled. The program was developed from a well understood psychiatric rehabilitation model designed at Boston University (BU). Data from program and BU staff were used to construct concept maps that portrayed the program as conceptualized by BU and by program staff. Quantitative and descriptive analyses of the maps indicated good fidelity of model transfer but also highlighted important local adaptations of the program.