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Core Concepts in Evaluation
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Core Concepts in Evaluation
Classic Writings and Contemporary Commentary

Edited by:


July 2024 | 392 pages | SAGE Publications, Inc

This unique book features original writings from evaluation's foundational thinkers, together with new commentaries from contemporary authors. Each section includes an introduction to a core evaluation concept by the editors, a classic reading, two commentaries on that topic by contemporary authors, and a reflection guide written by the editors.

Lori A. Wingate, Ayesha S. Boyce, Lyssa Wilson Becho, and Kelly N. Robertson
Introduction
Leander L. Boykin
Introduction Classic Piece: Let’s Eliminate the Confusion: What is Evaluation?
 
Part I. Evaluation is a distinct form of inquiry that is oriented to reaching judgments of merit, worth, or significance.
Lyssa Wilson Becho
Part I Introduction
Michael Scriven
Part I Classic Piece: The Nature of Evaluation
Bianca Montrosse-Moorhead and Khalil Bitar
Chapter 1: Amending the Architectural Blueprints for Evaluation
Ghislain Arbour
Chapter 2: Lack of Discipline: Answering Scriven’s Call for Value in (Program) Evaluation
Lyssa Wilson Becho
Part I Reflection Guide
 
Part II. Engagement enhances the usefulness and relevance of evaluation.
Kelly N. Robertson
Part II Introduction
Carol Weiss
Part II Classic Piece: The Stakeholder Approach to Evaluation: Origins and Promise
Tatiana E. Bustos, Oyesola Oluwafunmilayo Ayeni, and Jessica S. Saucedo
Chapter 3: Evaluation Engagement: Historical Perspectives and New Directions With Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) Principles
Sharon Attipoe-Dorcoo and Norma Martínez-Rubin
Chapter 4: I.M.P.A.C.T.: A Manumission Mindset and Other Engagement Approaches for Evaluation
Kelly N. Robertson
Part II Reflection Guide
 
Part III. Evaluation is inherently political.
Lori A. Wingate
Part III Introduction
Eleanor Chelimsky
Part III Classic Piece: What Have We Learned About the Politics of Program Evaluation?
Jennifer Billman and Bagele Chilisia
Chapter 5: The Power and Politics of Knowledge Production in Program Evaluation: Funder, Methodological, and Pedagogical Colonialism
Rakesh Mohan
Chapter 6: Walking the Tightrope Between Independence and Responsiveness: Falling Off Is Not an Option
Lori A. Wingate
Part III Reflection Guide
 
Part IV. Culturally responsive evaluation practice can lead to a more just society.
Ayesha S. Boyce
Part IV Introduction
Stafford Hood
Part IV Classic Piece: Responsive Evaluation Amistad Style: Perspectives of One African American Evaluator
Grettel Arias Orozco
Chapter 7: En Busca de las Voces Latinas in CRE: Reflections From a Program Evaluation Latina
Deja Taylor, Sojourner White, Superior Murphy, Radaya Ellis, and monique liston
Chapter 8: Black Methodologies for Black Evaluators
Ayesha S. Boyce
Part IV Reflection Guide
 
Part V. Evaluation’s value is realized through its use and influence.
Ayesha S. Boyce
Part V Introduction
Michael Quinn Patton
Part V Classic Piece: Utilization-Focused Evaluation
Jeremy Acree and Jill Chouinard
Chapter 9: Aims, Aspirations, and Consequences: Problematization at the Intersection of Culture and Evaluation Use
Caitlin A. Blaser Mapitsa and Mine Pabari
Chapter 10: Beyond the Project: Using Evaluation to Reimagine the Future in Africa
Ayesha S. Boyce
Part V Reflection Guide
 
Part VI. Evaluation is a reflexive practice: Evaluation can and should be evaluated.
Lori A. Wingate
Part VI Introduction
Daniel L. Stufflebeam
Part VI Classic Piece: Metaevaluation
Paidamoyo Chikate, Satlaj Dighe, Padma Kannan, and John M. LaVelle
Chapter 11: Revisiting Metaevaluation Through the Perspectives of the Global South
Tiffany Tovey and Libby Smith
Chapter 12: A New Story for Metaevaluation
Lori A. Wingate
Part VI Reflection Guide
 
References
 
Author Index
 
Subject Index

Did not match course syllabus content and criteria

Dr Pär Widén
Faculty of Education & Society, Malmo University
April 11, 2025

Sample Materials & Chapters

Wingate_1e_Ch01

Wingate_1e_Ch02


Lori A. Wingate

Lori A. Wingate is the Executive Director of The Evaluation Center at Western Michigan University. She has a Ph.D. in interdisciplinary evaluation and 30 years of experience in the evaluation field. Dr. Wingate has led a range of evaluation projects in STEM education, public health, and higher education and has delivered more than 75 webinars and workshops on evaluation in various national contexts. She served as a subject matter expert in evaluation for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for a decade and has held two intergovernmental personnel appointments at the CDC. She is a co-author of the fifth edition of... More About Author

Ayesha S. Boyce

Ayesha S. Boyce is an associate professor in the Division of Educational Leadership and Innovation at Arizona State University. She also co-directs the STEM Program Evaluation Lab. Dr. Boyce’s scholarship focuses on attending to value stances and issues related to diversity, equity, inclusion, access, cultural responsiveness, and social justice within evaluation—especially multi-site, STEM, and contexts with historically and systematically marginalized populations. She also examines teaching, mentoring, and learning in evaluation. She has evaluated more than 60 programs funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), the US Department of... More About Author

Lyssa Wilson Becho

Lyssa Wilson Becho is an evaluation scholar-practitioner. She works as a principal research associate at The Evaluation Center at Western Michigan University. Dr. Becho directs an evaluation capacity-building initiative funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation, focusing on developing capacity in evaluation practice and use for both evaluation practitioners and consumers. Her scholarship focuses on bridging evaluation theory to practice and making approaches to evaluation accessible. She has a Ph.D. in interdisciplinary evaluation and 10 years of experience evaluating local, state-, and nation-wide projects. Dr. Becho is also the co... More About Author

Kelly N. Robertson

Kelly N. Robertson works as a principal research associate at The Evaluation Center at Western Michigan University. She has extensive experience conducting social justice-focused evaluations, publishing scholarly articles, and creating evaluation capacity-strengthening resources (e.g., webinars, guides, checklists). Dr. Robertson co-led the creation of The Evaluation Center’s online training program, Valeo. She has a Ph.D. in interdisciplinary evaluation and over 15 years of experience in the field of program evaluation. She also has a master’s degree in international development and a certificate in nonprofit leadership.  More About Author

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ISBN: 9781071883839
$116.00