| Session Title: Program Theory and Theory-driven Evaluation TIG Business Meeting and Think Tank: Using Context, Evidence, and Program Theory to Build External Validity |
| Business Meeting Session 250 to be held in Panzacola Section G2 on Thursday, Nov 12, 10:55 AM to 12:25 PM |
| Sponsored by the Program Theory and Theory-driven Evaluation TIG |
| TIG Leader(s): |
| John Gargani, Gargani + Company, john@gcoinc.com |
| Katrina Bledsoe, Walter R McDonald and Associates Inc, kbledsoe@wrma.com |
| Presenter(s): |
| Uda Walker, Gargani + Company, uda@gcoinc.com |
| Discussant(s): |
| Michael Scriven, Claremont Graduate University, mjscriv@gmail.com |
| Michael Patton, Utilization-Focused Evaluation, mqpatton@prodigy.net |
| Huey Chen, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, hbc2@cdc.gov |
| Stewart Donaldson, Claremont Graduate University, stewart.donaldson@cgu.edu |
| John Gargani, Gargani + Company, john@gcoinc.com |
| Abstract: External validity - how we justify using evidence of a program's past performance to predict its future performance - is a hot topic in evaluation. Context, evidence, and theory provide three means of supporting the external validity of an evaluation. To what extent, if at all, can these sources of evidence be purposefully integrated to strengthen external validity? How are they currently used for this purpose in practice? What are the benefits, if any, of doing so within an experimental research paradigm? Or within a theory-based evaluation paradigm? Is external validity even a useful concept for evaluators and policymakers? In this session, prominent evaluators will address these questions and propose practical answers in an interactive format. |