| Session Title: Toward Context-Sensitive Evaluation Practice |
| Plenary Session 450 to be held in Sebastian Section J on Friday, Nov 13, 8:00 AM to 8:45 AM |
| Sponsored by the Presidential Strand |
| Chair(s): |
| William Trochim, Cornell University, wmt1@cornell.edu |
| Presenter(s): |
| Debra Rog, Westat, debrarog@westat.com |
| Abstract: Context is a force in evaluation, both in shaping our practice and in moderating and mediating the outcomes of the programs and policies we evaluate. Explicit understanding and study of both of these areas can propel our field forward. First, I will outline the dimensions of context to be considered in evaluation, the ways these dimensions shape our approaches and choice of methods, and how we can begin to study the effects of context-sensitive evaluation on the nature and use of the evidence produced. Second, just as we opened the black box of programs through the use of implementation evaluation, we can navigate the ‘black hole of context’ through the use of systems thinking and other approaches that explicitly examine the influence of the broader environment on programs and their participants. I will argue that attention to context both in how we work and what we study will help us produce findings that are immediately actionable as well as more generalizable and useful to a broader set of stakeholders. |