Discuss internal validity.

peer1   peer2  Internal Validity is define as the, “approximate truth about inferences regarding cause-effect or causal relationships.” (Trochim, 2006)  So, in other words the evidence that one has is based on results from the program that was able to be seen.  The threats that I will be avoiding while conducting my program evaluation will be maturation and history.Maturation is known as “a threat that is internal to the individual participant.” (BU, 2015) “The possibility that mental or physical changes occur within the participants themselves that could account for the evaluation results.” (BU, 2015)  Normally, when the time from the beginning to the end of the program is increased the maturation threat is much greater. This is important to my program because the staff that is being trained works directly with juveniles/ children and they are still in mental/ physical changes. They are also dealing with their own personal traumas. So, if the mission is maintained then the restoration of the juvenile population can be done. The best way to prevent this threat would be to produce a pretest and posttest on the information being taught throughout our training program. This will ensure the correctional officers progress from the beginning of the course to the end. This will help measure the progress made.History is defined as, “observed program results may be explained by events or experiences (external) that impact the individual between program participation and follow up.” (BU, 2015) History is a key component within my program as of now. SC Department of Juvenile Justice is plastered all over the news right due to issues within the agency as a whole. This could and has been portraying a very negative perception of the agency among those within the state. Now, this can be change by maintaining positive reporting from media sources. This will not happen until there is a positive change made to the problem areas within a timely manner such as two months rather than a year. It is just hard because most news outlets are likely to report the negative rather than the positive, but it starts from us first.REFERENCES:Boston University School of Public Health (2015).  . Retrieved on February 18, 2017 from: Trochim, W. (2006). Retrieved on February 18, 2017 from