| Session Title: Identifying Critical Processes and Outcomes Across Evaluation Approaches: Empowerment, Practical Participatory, Transformative, and Utilization-focused |
| Expert Lecture Session 705 to be held in Liberty Ballroom Section B on Saturday, November 10, 9:35 AM to 10:20 AM |
| Sponsored by the Theories of Evaluation TIG |
| Chair(s): |
| Tanner LeBaron Wallace, University of California, Los Angeles, twallace@ucla.edu |
| Presenter(s): |
| Marvin Alkin, University of California, Los Angeles, alkin@gseis.ucla.edu |
| Discussant(s): |
| J Bradley Cousins, University of Ottawa, bcousins@uottawa.ca |
| David Fetterman, Stanford University, profdavidf@yahoo.com |
| Donna Mertens, Gallaudet University, donna.mertens@gallaudet.edu |
| Michael Quinn Patton, Utilization-Focused Evaluation, mqpatton@prodigy.net |
| Abstract: Inspired by the recent American Journal of Evaluation article by Robin Miller and Rebecca Campbell (2006), this session proposes a set of identifiable processes and outcomes for four particular evaluation approaches-Empowerment, Practical Participatory, Transformative, and Utilization-Focused. The four evaluation theorists responsible for each approach will serve as discussants to critique our proposed set of evaluation principles. This session seeks to answer the following two questions for each approach: What process criteria would identify each specific evaluation approach in practice? And what observed outcomes are necessary in order to make a judgment that the evaluation was "successful" in regards to the particular evaluation approach? Providing answers to these questions through both the presentation and the discussion among the theorists will provide comparative insights into common and distinct elements among the approaches. Our ultimate aim is to advance the discipline of evaluation through increasing conceptual clarity. |