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The Evaluation Field in Brazil
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| Presenter(s):
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| Daniel Brandao, Instituto Fonte, daniel@fonte.org.br
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| Martina Otero, Instituto Fonte, martina@fonte.org.br
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| Rogerio Silva, Instituto Fonte, rrsilva@fonte.org.br
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| Abstract:
This is a project led by Instituto Fonte e Fundação Itaú Social which is oriented to strengthening the evaluation field in the Brazilian community and investigates the size and meaning of social program evaluations in Brazil. In 2008, a survey conducted with 211 companies brought data on how this player relates with the evaluation of social projects. A study of the Brazilian academic production on evaluation (Msc and Phd dissertations) was also developed. In 2009 a study on how NGOs relates with evaluation is being conducted. The paper will present data from these studies and aims to contribute with an understanding of how the evaluation field is under development in a Latin American country, showing its opportunities and challenges. The paper can contribute to discussions on the international development of evaluations and is of interest to those committed to international evaluation networks.
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Developing a Measure of Organizational Evaluation Capacity
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| Presenter(s):
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| Tim Aubry, University of Ottawa, taubry@uottawa.ca
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| J Bradley Cousins, University of Ottawa, bcousins@uottawa.ca
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| Swee Goh, University of Ottawa, goh@telfer.uottawa.ca
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| Catherine Elliot, University of Ottawa, elliott.young@sympatico.ca
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| Abstract:
While knowledge about building the capacity to do evaluation has developed considerably, less is understood about building the organizational evaluation. This presentation reports findings of factor analyses of responses from a pan-Canadian survey of 340 evaluators working in the public sector, not-for-profit sector, or in the private sector on a measure assessing organizational capacity to do and use evaluation. The examined measure was made up of 114 items assessing various elements of contextual circumstances for organizational evaluation capacity, capacity to do evaluation, and capacity to use evaluation. Confirmatory factor analyses will be conducted to determine if factors corresponding to the proposed components for each of these areas are present. These will be followed by principal components analyses to break down the measure into interpretable subgroups of items. Implications of the findings on theory related to organizational evaluation capacity and on using the measure in future research are discussed.
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"You Want Me to Do WHAT?" Evaluators and the Pressure to Misrepresent Findings
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| Presenter(s):
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| Michael Morris, University of New Haven, mmorris@newhaven.edu
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| Abstract:
Evaluators' experiences of being pressured by stakeholders to misrepresent findings were explored via a survey of a random sample of non-student members of the American Evaluation Association. A response rate of 37% was obtained (N = 940). 42% of the respondents indicated that they had felt such pressure during one or more of their evaluations. The study examines the varieties of misrepresentation that were sought, the types of evaluation that pressure was applied to, the range of stakeholders exerting pressure, evaluators' perceptions of stakeholder intent, the outcomes of influence attempts, and evaluators' views of what could have been done to prevent such pressure from occurring. Implications of the study for understanding the nature of influence in evaluation, as well as for safeguarding the integrity of evaluation reports, are discussed.
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Exploring the Practices of School District Evaluators
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| Presenter(s):
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| Susan T Hibbard, Florida Gulf Coast University, shibbard@fgcu.edu
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| Abstract:
Little is known about the background, training, and practices of the people conducting evaluations in school districts. This study seeks to answer the calls for research on evaluation, focusing on the evaluation activities carried out in different contexts of school district evaluations. The background of school district evaluators, their practice of evaluation, and the link between training and practice in regards to evaluation theory is explored.
Findings of the study highlight the patterns and characteristics of current practicing internal evaluators and variability across those evaluators in different contexts. Interviews, focus groups, and a revised version of the Theory to Practice instrument (Christie, 2001) were used to collect data. Exploring the people who play a role in the decision making process of the public schools is essential for the advancement of education evaluation, evaluation as a profession, and public education.
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