The SAGE Handbook of Evaluation
- Ian Shaw - University of York, UK
- Jennifer C Greene - University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, USA
- Melvin M Mark - 1999 - 2004
"The Handbook succeeds in capturing and presenting evaluation's extensive knowledge base within a global context. In so doing it provides a useful, coherent, and definitive benchmark on the field's diverse and dynamic purposes, practices, theories, approaches, issues, and challenges for the 21st century. The Handbook is an essential reference and map for any serious evaluation practitioner, scholar, and student anywhere in the world."
- Michael Quinn Patton, author of Utilization-Focused Evaluation
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 organized in four coherent sections:
- Role and Purpose of Evaluation in Society
- Evaluation as a Social Practice
- The Practice of Evaluation
- Domains of Evaluation Practice
"In this all-encompassing handbook, various authors discuss the evaluation of people related programs, policies, and practices...This handbook thoroughly covers all aspects of evaluation, yet it isn't too technical to understand. It offers everything an organization needs to know to get the most out of evaluation."
—NONPROFIT WORLD
`The Handbook succeeds in capturing and presenting evaluation’s extensive knowledge base within a global context. In so doing it provides a useful, coherent and definitive benchmark on the field’s diverse and dynamic purposes, practices, theories, approaches, issues, and challenges for the 21st century. The Handbook is an essential reference and map for any serious evaluation practitioner, scholar and student anywhere in the world'
- Michael Quinn Patton,
author of Utilization-Focused Evaluation
`Readers of this volume will find a set of texts that provide an evocative overview of contemporary thinking in the world of evaluation. This is not a book of simple tips. It does justice to the complex realities of evaluation practice by bringing together some of the best practitioners in the world to reflect on its current state. It is theoretically sophisticated yet eminently readable, anchored in evaluation as it is undertaken in a variety of domains. It is the kind of book that startles a little and makes you think. I highly recommend it'
- Murray Saunders,
University of Lancaster
The Handbook is very successful in presenting an accurate, well-informed and authentic picture of evaluation in the early 21st century and its likely future directions. Readers in the evaluation community should find many of the essays stimulating and rewarding.
Evaluation Journal of Australasia
An excellent text book for anybody interested in conducting evaluation research studies.
The book provides a very good and broad overview of the field of evaluation research. Too broad for my students, but I do use a text from the book as essential reading.
Is not adopted yet but will perhaps be further on.
This text provides extensive knowledge in a coherent way that students will find helpful for research planning, analysis and evaluation.
Only one chapter herein is relevant to TESOL
This is a very contemporary overview on the topic, applicable to a wide range of research problems, and important for different disciplines. Tables give nice synopses and figures are very helpful for increasing the understanding of the subject.
An excellent set of papers for student studying or undertaking evaluation research at doctoral level
