How to deal with several pre-test questionnaires that were completed after the first session of training?

Cheers.

Thanks a lot.

Dealing with pre-test questionnaires completed after the first session of training can introduce some challenges, as the ideal scenario is to collect pre-test data before any intervention or treatment occurs. However, if it is not possible to obtain pre-test data before the first session of training, there are a few steps you can take to address this issue:
1. Acknowledge the limitation: Acknowledge and communicate the limitation that the pre-test data were collected after the first session of training. This transparency ensures that stakeholders and readers of the evaluation report understand the context and potential impact of this timing issue on the interpretation of the results.
2. Control for prior knowledge or experience: If participants had prior knowledge or experience related to the training content, it is essential to account for this in the analysis. You can include questions in the pre-test questionnaire that capture participants' prior knowledge or experience to control for its influence on the results. By considering these factors as covariates or control variables in the analysis, you can better isolate the effects of the training intervention itself.
3. Consider a delayed control group: If feasible, you may consider including a delayed control group in the evaluation design. This means having a control group that receives the same training intervention after a time delay. By collecting pre-test data from this delayed control group before their training session, you can compare their results with the experimental group's post-test data. This helps to isolate the effects of the training intervention from other factors that may have influenced the experimental group's pre-test scores.
4. Utilize additional comparison measures: In addition to the pre-test questionnaire, consider incorporating other measures or assessments that capture the participants' baseline characteristics or relevant factors. For example, you could include self-reported measures of prior knowledge or skills, demographic information, or other relevant indicators. These additional measures can provide supplementary information to help contextualize and interpret the results.
5. Perform sensitivity analysis: Conduct sensitivity analysis to assess the potential impact of the timing of the pre-test data on the overall findings. This analysis involves exploring different scenarios or assumptions regarding the timing of the pre-test and evaluating how the results change. Sensitivity analysis allows you to assess the robustness of the findings and identify the extent to which the timing issue may have influenced the results.