Triangulation Assessment Strategy
The triangulation strategy is an application of multiple methods or mixed methods in cross-validating an observed phenomenon. The triangulation strategy can be viewed as a sort of switch strategy except that after the development of the program theory, mixed methods are used to assess the program theory. The triangulation strategy can enhance the validity of an assessment. There are two kinds of triangulation in theory-driven evaluation. The first kind is the multiple qualitative or quantitative method triangulation or simply “multiple methods” triangulation. The second kind is the mixed, qualitative and quantitative, methods triangulation or simply “mixed methods” triangulation. Theory-driven evaluation has used both kinds of triangulation. For example, there has been a great deal of interest in using physicians to deliver HIV prevention messages to HIV-positive patients in clinical settings for the purpose of preventing the spread of HIV. In a process evaluation of the physician-based prevention program (Chen, Grimley, Aban, Waithaka, & Bachmann, 2006), stakeholders wanted to know the fidelity quality of intervention, that is, whether physicians who participated in such a program actually delivered the services (intervention protocol component). This issue was important because HIV prevention was new to the physicians and it was of interest whether they would actually deliver prevention services, even if they agreed to participate in the project. The intervention fidelity was assessed through the use of multiple quantitative methods