The Future Of Evaluation In Society

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The Future of Evaluation in Society

Author : Stewart I. Donaldson
Publisher : IAP
ISBN 13 : 1623964539
Total Pages : 200 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (239 download)

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Book Synopsis The Future of Evaluation in Society by : Stewart I. Donaldson

Download or read book The Future of Evaluation in Society written by Stewart I. Donaldson and published by IAP. This book was released on 2013-09-01 with total page 200 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The impetus for this volume lives in a rich and vibrant past. It is organized to honor one of the founders and most prolific contributors to the profession and transdiscipline of evaluation -- Professor Michael Scriven, and to illuminate the future of evaluation in society. Professor Scriven often shares stories of his meetings with Albert Einsten and the frame-breaking evaluation revolution he has led against the value free doctrine of the social sciences. Both his wide eyed graduate students and the more grizzled evaluation veterans in his professional development workshops quickly learn that Scriven is well traveled and has exchanged some of the boldest ideas and visions with the most brilliant thinkers of his time. Scriven insisted that the 2011 Stauffer Symposium and this volume be organized in that genre. He urged us to invite the most thoughtful and influential evaluation theorists and practitioners we could find to join him in a conversation about the future of evaluation in society. Scriven challenges us to examine the five great paradigm shifts that have revolutionized the foundations of evaluation, and that he believes will form the basis for a much brighter future for evaluation in society. Scriven’s revolutionary ideas are followed and challenged by a group of thought leaders in evaluation who do not necessarily shared his views on evaluation, but who have earned his deepest respect and whose evaluation work he admires including Michael Quinn Patton, Ernest House, Daniel Stufflebeam, Robert Stake, Jennifer Greene, Karen Kirkhart, Melvin Mark, Rodney Hopson, and Christina Christie. However, despite his insistence that his colleagues stay focused on the future of evaluation, you will find that many have recounted their adventures, exchanges, and debates with him over the years, as well as pointed out the many contributions that he has made to the development of evaluation and to the improvement of society through his amazing portfolio of evaluation contributions. The Future of Evaluation in Society: A Tribute to Michael Scriven will be of great interest to evaluation scholars, practitioners, and students of evaluation. It will be appropriate for use in a wide range of evaluation courses including Introduction to Evaluation, Evaluation Theory, and Evaluation Practice courses.

The Future of Evaluation

Author : Wolfgang Meyer
Publisher : Springer
ISBN 13 : 1137376376
Total Pages : 399 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (373 download)

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Book Synopsis The Future of Evaluation by : Wolfgang Meyer

Download or read book The Future of Evaluation written by Wolfgang Meyer and published by Springer. This book was released on 2016-01-26 with total page 399 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Evaluation has become an important instrument for rational governance and is used in an increasing number of countries and policy fields. Recent developments at the global, national and local level are changing the conditions and functions of evaluation worldwide. This book examines current global development trends and changing demands for evaluation. It addresses issues surrounding professionalisation and globalisation, examining the need to strengthen accountability for social development in various different policy fields, regions and countries to improve governance and its impacts on social betterment. It also considers issues of quality, utility and further education and the upgrading of evaluation in a broad variety of different organisations, such as multilateral donor organisations, national public administrations, private consultancies, civil-society organisations, universities, and research institutes. With contributions from 30 different countries, this book combines a broad variety of viewpoints to examine the global future of evaluation.

The Evaluation Society

Author : Peter Dahler-Larsen
Publisher : Stanford University Press
ISBN 13 : 0804778124
Total Pages : 416 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (47 download)

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Book Synopsis The Evaluation Society by : Peter Dahler-Larsen

Download or read book The Evaluation Society written by Peter Dahler-Larsen and published by Stanford University Press. This book was released on 2011-11-09 with total page 416 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Evaluation—whether called by this name, quality assurance, audit, accreditation, or others—is an important social activity. Any organization that "lives in public" must now evaluate its activities, be evaluated by others, or evaluate others. What are the origins of this wave of evaluation? And, what worthwhile results emerge from it? The Evaluation Society argues that if we want to understand many of the norms, values, and expectations that we, sometimes unknowingly, bring to evaluation, we should explore how evaluation is demanded, formatted, and shaped by two great principles of social order: organization and society. With this understanding, we can more conscientiously participate in evaluation processes; better position ourselves to understand many of the mysteries, tensions, and paradoxes in evaluation; and use evaluation in a more informed way. After exploring the sociology and organization of evaluation in this landmark work, author Peter Dahler-Larsen concludes by discussing issues that are critical for the future of evaluation—as a discipline and a societal norm.

Visionary Evaluation for a Sustainable, Equitable Future

Author : Beverly Parsons
Publisher : IAP
ISBN 13 : 1641138351
Total Pages : 285 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (411 download)

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Book Synopsis Visionary Evaluation for a Sustainable, Equitable Future by : Beverly Parsons

Download or read book Visionary Evaluation for a Sustainable, Equitable Future written by Beverly Parsons and published by IAP. This book was released on 2020-01-01 with total page 285 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Take a journey to 2030 where Visionary Evaluatives abound and link with one another in actively bringing about a sustainable, equitable future. Utilizing a creative storytelling approach, Visionary Evaluation for a Sustainable, Equitable Future brings forward the centrality of values in conjunction with the role of evaluation in building a future of well-being for people, nature, and planet. Visionary Evaluatives are guided by six principles. Those principles highlight a commitment to equity and the sustainability of nature as core values. They emphasize an orientation of humility, compassion, and transparency as Visionary Evaluatives engage with others in a world of living, entangled systems with both obvious and hidden intersectionalities. They require Visionary Evaluatives to engage in deep praxis—mindful and challenging reflection on what is being learned through the intersection of values, iterative action and inquiry, theory, outcomes, and vision. A diverse group of chapter authors share their wisdom through envisioning 2030 and what it might mean to move in the world applying aspects of the Visionary Evaluative Principles. Through Visionary Evaluation for a Sustainable, Equitable Future, you will learn about how you can contribute to a sustainable, equitable future not only in evaluations, as either users or practitioners, but also in your daily actions and lives. Praise for Visionary Evaluation for a Sustainable, Equitable Future What might the world be like if it was inhabited by people imbued with evaluation? Here's a very interesting exploration of such a world. And it will additionally enrich your thinking about how to vote in 2020. Michael Scriven Founder, Faster Forward Fund The core values and principles of visionary evaluatives read too good to be true: envisioning a world of humility, sustainability, equity, compassion, respect, understanding, and engaging deeply, toward iterative action. What a tall order and request this book is making for those of us in the field of evaluation! Bravo to the authors for pushing us. Their book is compelling and futuristic, written as a story that helps us imagine and re-image our field, our lives, and our world. Rodney Hopson Professor, University of Illinois—Urbana Champaign A fascinating journey into the future. The heroes, “Visionary Evaluatives", catalyze forces including the UN Sustainable Development Goals movement. In their innovative blending of evaluation designs and daily living habits, the heroes demonstrate the strong beliefs in the value of the sustainability of the planet and equity for all its inhabitants. Deborah Rugg President, Evaluation Consultants LLC; Former Chair, UN Evaluation Group Humanity's current trajectory on Earth is unsustainable. Transformation is needed at every level and in every arena of action. The alternative may be no future at all. This book and its Visionary Evaluation Principles envisions evaluation as part of the transformation. Embrace the vision. Act on it. How? Start by reading Visionary Evaluation. Michael Quinn Patton Author of Blue Marble Evaluation

Evaluation for an Equitable Society

Author : Stewart I. Donaldson
Publisher : IAP
ISBN 13 : 1681234459
Total Pages : 253 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (812 download)

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Book Synopsis Evaluation for an Equitable Society by : Stewart I. Donaldson

Download or read book Evaluation for an Equitable Society written by Stewart I. Donaldson and published by IAP. This book was released on 2016-04-01 with total page 253 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Governments and organizations of all shapes and sizes espouse values of equity and social justice. Yet, there are many examples of unfair social arrangements and employment conditions, dysfunctional government practices, and growing income inequality in both developed and developing countries worldwide. The profession and transdiscipline of evaluation is well equipped to address issues of inequality and social injustice, but until recently has been much more focused on primary stakeholder and donor satisfaction (being as useful as possible to funders of interventions and evaluations) and accountability concerns. The authors in this volume challenge the field of evaluation to become more concerned about using evaluation to develop more equitable organizations, governments, and societies. Leading evaluation theorists and practitioners including Michael Scriven, Jennifer Greene, Thomas Schwandt, Emily Gates, Sandra Mathison, Karen Kirkhart, Saville Kushner, Lois-Ellin Datta, Ernest House, Robert Stake, Patricia Rogers, Robert Picciotto and Stewart Donaldson, provide a range of visions for how evaluation can play a much larger role in facilitating social justice across the globe. Evaluation for an Equitable Society will be of great interest to evaluation practitioners, students and scholars. It will be of interest to those teaching and taking introductory evaluation courses, as well as advanced courses focused on improving evaluation theory and practice.

Continuing the Journey to Reposition Culture and Cultural Context in Evaluation Theory and Practice

Author : Stafford Hood
Publisher : IAP
ISBN 13 : 1623969379
Total Pages : 404 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (239 download)

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Book Synopsis Continuing the Journey to Reposition Culture and Cultural Context in Evaluation Theory and Practice by : Stafford Hood

Download or read book Continuing the Journey to Reposition Culture and Cultural Context in Evaluation Theory and Practice written by Stafford Hood and published by IAP. This book was released on 2014-12-01 with total page 404 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Racial, ethnic, linguistic, and cultural diversity has become of global importance in places where many never would have imagined. Increasing diversity in the U.S., Europe, Africa, New Zealand, and Asia strongly suggests that a homogeneity-based focus is rapidly becoming an historical artifact. Therefore, culturally responsive evaluation (CRE) should no longer be viewed as a luxury or an option in our work as evaluators. The continued amplification of racial, ethnic, linguistic, and cultural diversity and awareness among the populations of the U.S. and other western nations insists that social science researchers and evaluators inextricably engage culturally responsive approaches in their work. It is unacceptable for most mainstream university evaluation programs, philanthropic agencies, training institutes sponsored by federal agencies, professional associations, and other entities to promote professional evaluation practices that do not attend to CRE. Our global demographics are a reality that can be appropriately described and studied within the context of complexity theory and theory of change (e.g., Stewart, 1991; Battram, 1999). And this perspective requires a distinct shift from “simple” linear cause-effect models and reductionist thinking to include more holistic and culturally responsive approaches. The development of policy that is meaningfully responsive to the needs of traditionally disenfranchised stakeholders and that also optimizes the use of limited resources (human, natural, and financial) is an extremely complex process. Fortunately, we are presently witnessing developments in methods, instruments, and statistical techniques that are mixed methods in their paradigm/designs and likely to be more effective in informing policymaking and decision-making. Culturally responsive evaluation is one such phenomenon that positions itself to be relevant in the context of dynamic international and national settings where policy and program decisions take place. One example of a response to address this dynamic and need is the newly established Center for Culturally Responsive Evaluation and Assessment (CREA) in the College of Education at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. CREA is an outgrowth of the collective work and commitments of a global community of scholars and practitioners who have contributed chapters to this edited volume. It is an international and interdisciplinary evaluation center that is grounded in the need for designing and conducting evaluations and assessments that embody cognitive, cultural, and interdisciplinary diversity so as to be actively responsive to culturally diverse communities and their aspirations. The Center’s purpose is to address questions, issues, theories, and practices related to CRE and culturally responsive educational assessment. Therefore, CREA can serve as a vehicle for our continuing discourse on culture and cultural context in evaluation and also as a point of dissemination for not only the work that is included in this edited volume, but for the subsequent work it will encourage.

Evaluation for the 21st Century

Author : Eleanor Chelimsky
Publisher : SAGE
ISBN 13 : 0761906118
Total Pages : 558 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (619 download)

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Book Synopsis Evaluation for the 21st Century by : Eleanor Chelimsky

Download or read book Evaluation for the 21st Century written by Eleanor Chelimsky and published by SAGE. This book was released on 1997-01-28 with total page 558 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Evaluation for the 21st Century features thoughtfully written introductions to each of the main sections that provide a context and synthesis of the various evaluators' chapters. After reading this groundbreaking book, researchers and practitioners will be able to recognize these new developments in evaluation as they encounter them, place them in context, and incorporate them into their own evaluation professions and practices.

A Research Agenda for Evaluation

Author : Peter Dahler-Larsen
Publisher : Edward Elgar Publishing
ISBN 13 : 1839101083
Total Pages : 256 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (391 download)

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Book Synopsis A Research Agenda for Evaluation by : Peter Dahler-Larsen

Download or read book A Research Agenda for Evaluation written by Peter Dahler-Larsen and published by Edward Elgar Publishing. This book was released on 2021-06-25 with total page 256 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This unique Research Agenda addresses salient current issues in evaluation research, offering a broad perspective on the role of evaluation in society.

Democratic Evaluation and Democracy

Author : Donna Podems
Publisher : IAP
ISBN 13 : 1681237903
Total Pages : 257 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (812 download)

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Book Synopsis Democratic Evaluation and Democracy by : Donna Podems

Download or read book Democratic Evaluation and Democracy written by Donna Podems and published by IAP. This book was released on 2017-02-01 with total page 257 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Democratic evaluation brings a way of thinking about evaluation’s role in society and in particular, its role in strengthening social justice. Yet the reality of applying it, and what happens when it is applied particularly outside the West, is unclear. Set in South Africa, a newly formed democracy in Southern Africa, the book affords an in-depth journey that immerses a reader into the realities of evaluation and its relation to democracy. The book starts with the broader introductory chapters that set the scene for more detailed ones which bring thorough insights into national government, local government, and civil societies’ experience of evaluation, democratic evaluation and their understanding of how it contributes to strengthening democracy (or not). A teaching case, the book concludes by providing guiding questions that encourage reflection, discussion and learning that ultimately aims to inform practice and theory.

Outcome Harvesting

Author : Ricardo Wilson-Grau
Publisher : IAP
ISBN 13 : 1641133945
Total Pages : 247 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (411 download)

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Book Synopsis Outcome Harvesting by : Ricardo Wilson-Grau

Download or read book Outcome Harvesting written by Ricardo Wilson-Grau and published by IAP. This book was released on 2018-11-01 with total page 247 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Are you a grant maker, manager or evaluator who must assess your work to improve as well as be accountable for the use of resources and results? Does the project, program or organization you fund, manage or evaluate contend with substantial uncertainty about what to do and what will be the results? Do you thus experience constant change and unexpected and unforeseeable actors and factors in your intervention? Do you need to know what you are achieving and how in real time? And therefore, do you seek an alternative to conventional monitoring and evaluation of social change results? If yes, then you are the audience for this book. Beginning in 2002, working closely with co-evaluators and commissioners of evaluations, the author developed Outcome Harvesting to enable evaluators, grant makers, and managers to identify, formulate, verify, and make sense of changes that interventions have influenced in a broad range of cutting–edge innovation and development projects and programs around the world. Over these years, he led Outcome Harvesting evaluative exercises involving almost 500 non-governmental organizations, networks, government agencies, funding agencies, community-based organizations, research institutes and university programs. In over fifty evaluations, with forty co-evaluators he has harvested thousands of outcomes on six continents. Outcome Harvesting has proven useful in evaluations of a great diversity of initiatives: human rights advocacy, political, economic and environmental advocacy, arts and culture, health systems, information and communication technology, conflict and peace, water and sanitation, taxonomy for development, violence against women, rural development, organic agriculture, participatory democracy, waste management, public sector reform, good governance, eLearning, social accountability, and business competition, amongst others. In this book, the author explains the steps of Outcome Harvesting and how to customize them according to the nine underlying principles. He shares his experience and gives practical advice on how to work with Outcome Harvesting and remain true to its essential features.

Blue Marble Evaluation

Author : Michael Quinn Patton
Publisher : Guilford Publications
ISBN 13 : 146254195X
Total Pages : 249 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (625 download)

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Book Synopsis Blue Marble Evaluation by : Michael Quinn Patton

Download or read book Blue Marble Evaluation written by Michael Quinn Patton and published by Guilford Publications. This book was released on 2019-11 with total page 249 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Global thinking principle -- Anthropocene as context principle -- Transformation engagement principle -- Integration principle -- Transboundary engagement principle -- GLOCAL principle -- Cross-silos principle -- Time being of the essence principle -- Yin-yang principle -- Bricolage methods principle -- World savvy principle -- Skin in the game principle -- Theory of transformation principle -- Transformation fidelity principles : evaluating transformation -- Transformational alignment principle : transforming evaluation to evaluate transformation.

Evaluation for the Real World

Author : Palfrey, Colin
Publisher : Policy Press
ISBN 13 : 1847429165
Total Pages : 258 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (474 download)

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Book Synopsis Evaluation for the Real World by : Palfrey, Colin

Download or read book Evaluation for the Real World written by Palfrey, Colin and published by Policy Press. This book was released on 2012-06-13 with total page 258 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Evaluation research findings should be a key element of the policy-making process, yet in reality they are often disregarded. This valuable book examines the development of evaluation and its impact on public policy by analysing evaluation frameworks and criteria which are available when evaluating public policies and services. It further examines the nature of evidence and its use and non-use by decision-makers and assesses the work of influential academics in the USA and UK in the context of evaluation and policy making. The book emphasises the 'real world' of decision-makers in the public sector and recognises how political demands and economic pressures can affect the decisions of those who commission evaluation research while providing recommendations for policymakers on adopting a different approach to evaluation. This is essential reading for under-graduate and post-graduate students of policy analysis and public sector management, and those who are involved in the planning and evaluation of public policies and services.

The SAGE Handbook of Evaluation

Author : Ian Shaw
Publisher : SAGE
ISBN 13 : 1446270556
Total Pages : 632 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (462 download)

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Book Synopsis The SAGE Handbook of Evaluation by : Ian Shaw

Download or read book The SAGE Handbook of Evaluation written by Ian Shaw and published by SAGE. This book was released on 2006-07-27 with total page 632 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this comprehensive handbook, an examination of the complexities of contemporary evaluation contributes to the ongoing dialogue that arises in professional efforts to evaluate people-related programs, policies, and practices. The SAGE Handbook of Evaluation is a unique and authoritative resource consisting of 25 chapters covering a range of evaluation theories and techniques in a single, accessible volume. With contributions from world-leading figures in their fields overseen by an eminent international editorial board, this handbook is an extensive and user-friendly resource.

The Evaluation Enterprise

Author : Jan-Eric Furubo
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 0429893027
Total Pages : 282 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (298 download)

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Book Synopsis The Evaluation Enterprise by : Jan-Eric Furubo

Download or read book The Evaluation Enterprise written by Jan-Eric Furubo and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2018-06-27 with total page 282 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Today, evaluation is part of governing systems and is supported by powerful institutions. It is taken for granted that evaluation leads to betterment. However, evaluation itself is seldom analyzed from a critical perspective. In this book, Jan-Eric Furubo and Nicoletta Stame have assembled an international line-up of distinguished experts and emerging scholars to fill this void. Examining evaluation from a critical – or evaluative – perspective, each contribution in this book offers a systematic and critical insight into the broader relationship between evaluation and society. Divided into three parts, the various chapters ask questions such as: What are the consequences of the institutionalization of evaluation? Has the professionalization of evaluators favored their action in the public interest? Is the money spent on evaluation worth it? Is the market of evaluation allowing real competition for the best services? The answers to these questions demonstrate that the constitutive effects of the social practice of evaluation can also be the suppression of other forms of knowledge and the favoring of certain notions about societal development and political and administrative processes.

The Politics of Evaluation

Author : Taylor, David
Publisher : Policy Press
ISBN 13 : 1861346069
Total Pages : 280 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (613 download)

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Book Synopsis The Politics of Evaluation by : Taylor, David

Download or read book The Politics of Evaluation written by Taylor, David and published by Policy Press. This book was released on 2005-01-19 with total page 280 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The widespread popularity of evaluation is based on the need to provide evidence of the effectiveness of policies and programmes. This book sees evaluation as an inherently political activity, and using a wide range of examples it relates practical issues in evaluation design to their political contexts.

Evaluation in Today’s World

Author : Veronica G. Thomas
Publisher : SAGE Publications
ISBN 13 : 1544348193
Total Pages : 746 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (443 download)

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Book Synopsis Evaluation in Today’s World by : Veronica G. Thomas

Download or read book Evaluation in Today’s World written by Veronica G. Thomas and published by SAGE Publications. This book was released on 2020-08-27 with total page 746 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Recipient of a 2021 Most Promising New Textbook Award from the Textbook & Academic Authors Association (TAA) Evaluation in Today’s World: Respecting Diversity, Improving Quality, and Promoting Usability is a timely and comprehensive textbook that guides students, practitioners, and users of evaluations in understanding evaluation purposes, theories, methodologies, and challenges within today’s sociocultural and political context. Veronica G. Thomas and Patricia B. Campbell include discussions of evaluation history, frameworks, models, types, planning, and methods, through a social justice, diversity, and inclusive lens. The authors focus on ethics in diverse cultural contexts, help readers understand how social problems and programs get politicized and, sometimes, framed through a racialized lens, show how to engage stakeholders in the evaluation process, and communicate results in culturally appropriate ways. Included with this title: The password-protected Instructor Resource Site (formally known as SAGE Edge) offers access to all text-specific resources, including a test bank and editable, chapter-specific PowerPoint® slides.

Program Evaluation Theory and Practice

Author : Donna M. Mertens
Publisher : Guilford Press
ISBN 13 : 1462503241
Total Pages : 642 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (625 download)

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Book Synopsis Program Evaluation Theory and Practice by : Donna M. Mertens

Download or read book Program Evaluation Theory and Practice written by Donna M. Mertens and published by Guilford Press. This book was released on 2012-02-20 with total page 642 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This engaging text takes an evenhanded approach to major theoretical paradigms in evaluation and builds a bridge from them to evaluation practice. Featuring helpful checklists, procedural steps, provocative questions that invite readers to explore their own theoretical assumptions, and practical exercises, the book provides concrete guidance for conducting large- and small-scale evaluations. Numerous sample studies—many with reflective commentary from the evaluators—reveal the process through which an evaluator incorporates a paradigm into an actual research project. The book shows how theory informs methodological choices (the specifics of planning, implementing, and using evaluations). It offers balanced coverage of quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods approaches. Useful pedagogical features include: *Examples of large- and small-scale evaluations from multiple disciplines. *Beginning-of-chapter reflection questions that set the stage for the material covered. *"Extending your thinking" questions and practical activities that help readers apply particular theoretical paradigms in their own evaluation projects. *Relevant Web links, including pathways to more details about sampling, data collection, and analysis. *Boxes offering a closer look at key evaluation concepts and additional studies. *Checklists for readers to determine if they have followed recommended practice. *A companion website with resources for further learning.