Evaluation Foundations Revisited

Evaluation Foundations Revisited
Author: Thomas Schwandt
Publisher: Stanford University Press
Total Pages: 216
Release: 2015-06-17
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 080479572X

Evaluation examines policies and programs across every arena of human endeavor, from efforts to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS to programs that drive national science policy. Relying on a vast array of methods, from qualitative interviewing to econometrics, it is a "transdiscipline," as opposed to a formal area of academic study. Accounting for these challenges, Evaluation Foundations Revisited offers an introduction for those seeking to better understand evaluation as a professional field. While the acquisition of methods and methodologies to meet the needs of certain projects is important, the foundation of evaluative practice rests on understanding complex issues to balance. Evaluation Foundations Revisited is an invitation to examine the intellectual, practical, and philosophical nexus that lies at the heart of evaluation. Thomas A. Schwandt shows how to critically engage with the assumptions that underlie how evaluators define and position their work, as well as how they argue for the usefulness of evaluation in society. He looks at issues such as the role of theory, how notions of value and valuing are understood, how evidence is used, how evaluation is related to politics, and what comprises scientific integrity. By coming to better understand the foundations of evaluation, readers will develop what Schwandt terms "a life of the mind of practice," which enables evaluators to draw on a more holistic view to develop reasoned arguments and well fitted techniques.

Evaluation Foundations Revisited

Evaluation Foundations Revisited
Author: Thomas A. Schwandt
Publisher: Stanford Business Books
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2015
Genre: Evaluation
ISBN:

Evaluation examines policies and programs across every arena of human endeavor, from efforts to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS to programs that drive national science policy. Relying on a vast array of methods, from qualitative interviewing to econometrics, it is a "transdiscipline," as opposed to a formal area of academic study. Accounting for these challenges, Evaluation Foundations Revisited offers an introduction for those seeking to better understand evaluation as a professional field. While the acquisition of methods and methodologies to meet the needs of certain projects is important, the foundation of evaluative practice rests on understanding complex issues to balance. Evaluation Foundations Revisited is an invitation to examine the intellectual, practical, and philosophical nexus that lies at the heart of evaluation. Thomas A. Schwandt shows how to critically engage with the assumptions that underlie how evaluators define and position their work, as well as how they argue for the usefulness of evaluation in society. He looks at issues such as the role of theory, how notions of value and valuing are understood, how evidence is used, how evaluation is related to politics, and what comprises scientific integrity. By coming to better understand the foundations of evaluation, readers will develop what Schwandt terms "a life of the mind of practice," which enables evaluators to draw on a more holistic view to develop reasoned arguments and well fitted techniques.

Advocacy and Policy Change Evaluation

Advocacy and Policy Change Evaluation
Author: Annette Gardner
Publisher: Stanford University Press
Total Pages: 344
Release: 2017-04-11
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1503602338

This is the first book-length treatment of the concepts, designs, methods, and tools needed to conduct effective advocacy and policy change evaluations. By integrating insights from different disciplines, Part I provides a conceptual foundation for navigating advocacy tactics within today's turbulent policy landscape. Part II offers recommendations for developing appropriate evaluation designs and working with unique advocacy and policy change–oriented instruments. Part III turns toward opportunities and challenges in this growing field. In addition to describing actual designs and measures, the chapters includes suggestions for addressing the specific challenges of working in a policy setting, such as a long time horizon for achieving meaningful change. To illuminate and advance this area of evaluation practice, the authors draw on over 30 years of evaluation experience; collective wisdom based on a new, large-scale survey of evaluators in the field; and in-depth case studies on diverse issues—from the environment, to public health, to human rights. Ideal for evaluators, change makers, and funders, this book is the definitive guide to advocacy and policy change evaluation.

Systems Concepts in Action

Systems Concepts in Action
Author: Bob Williams
Publisher: Stanford University Press
Total Pages: 439
Release: 2010-10-25
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 0804770638

Systems Concepts in Action: A Practitioner's Toolkit offers out a wide range of systems methods to help readers investigate, evaluate and intervene in complex messy situations.

The Evaluation Society

The Evaluation Society
Author: Peter Dahler-Larsen
Publisher: Stanford University Press
Total Pages: 416
Release: 2011-11-09
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 0804778124

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.

Collaborative Evaluations

Collaborative Evaluations
Author: Liliana Rodríguez-Campos
Publisher: Stanford University Press
Total Pages: 265
Release: 2012-11-21
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 080478485X

Collaborative Evaluations: Step-by-Step, Second Edition is a comprehensive guide for evaluators who aim to master collaborative practice. Liliana Rodríguez-Campos and Rigoberto Rincones-Gómez present their Model for Collaborative Evaluations (MCE) with its six major components: identify the situation, clarify the expectations, establish a collective commitment, ensure open communication, encourage effective practices, and follow specific guidelines. Fully updated to reflect the state-of-the-art in the field, each core chapter addresses one component of the model, providing step-by-step guidance, as well as helpful tips for successful application. To further demonstrate the utility of the MCE, this new edition includes recurring vignettes about several evaluators and clients, illustrating frequent questions and specific challenges that arise when evaluators take a collaborative approach. Drawing on a wide range of collaborative evaluations conducted in the business, nonprofit, and education sectors, this precise and easy-to-understand guide is ideal for students and practitioners who want to use its tools immediately.

The Program Evaluation Standards

The Program Evaluation Standards
Author: Donald B. Yarbrough
Publisher: SAGE
Total Pages: 385
Release: 2011
Genre: Education
ISBN: 1412986567

Including a new section on evaluation accountability, this Third Edition details 30 standards which give advice to those interested in planning, implementing and using program evaluations.

Evaluation Roots

Evaluation Roots
Author: Marvin C. Alkin
Publisher: SAGE
Total Pages: 441
Release: 2004-02-19
Genre: Psychology
ISBN: 0761928944

Initially, evaluation was derived from social science research methodology and accountability concerns. This book examines evaluation theories and traces their evolution with the point of view that theories build upon theories and, therefore, evaluation theories are related to each other.

Sesame Street Revisited

Sesame Street Revisited
Author: Thomas D. Cook
Publisher: Russell Sage Foundation
Total Pages: 429
Release: 1975-09-26
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1610448278

In the course of its television lifetime, "Sesame Street" has taught alphabet-related skills to hundreds of thousands of preschool children. But the program may have attracted more of its regular viewers from relatively affluent homes in which the parents were better educated. Analyzing and reevaluating data drawn from several sources, principally the Educational Testing Service's evaluations of "Sesame Street," the authors of this book open fresh lines of inquiry into how much economically disadvantaged children learned from viewing the series for six months and into whether the program is widening the gap that separates the academic achievement of disadvantaged preschoolers from that of their more affluent counterparts. The authors define as acute dilemma currently facing educational policymakers: what positive results are achieved when a large number of children learn some skills at a younger age if this absolute increase in knowledge is associated with an increase in the difference between social groups?

Game-Based Assessment Revisited

Game-Based Assessment Revisited
Author: Dirk Ifenthaler
Publisher: Springer Nature
Total Pages: 361
Release: 2019-11-05
Genre: Education
ISBN: 3030155692

The capabilities and possibilities of emerging game-based learning technologies bring about a new perspective of learning and instruction. This, in turn, necessitates alternative ways to assess the kinds of learning that are taking place in the game-based environments. The field has been broadening the focus of assessment in game environments (i.e., what we measure), developing processes and methodologies that go beyond psychometrics practices (i.e., how we go about assessment in games), and implementing the game-based assessment (GBA) in real contexts. The current state of the field calls for a revisit of this topic to understand what we have learned from the research on this topic, and how the GBA work changed how the field thinks about assessment beyond game environments. Accordingly, this comprehensive volume covers the current state of research, methodology, and technology of game-based assessment. It features four major themes: what we are measuring in games, how GBA has influenced how people do assessment beyond games, new methods and practices, and implementations of GBA. The audience for this volume includes researchers, graduate students, teachers, and professional practitioners in the areas of education, instructional design, educational psychology, academic and organizational development, and instructional technology.