| Abstract:
The literature on evaluation use rests on the assumption that through the utilization of evaluation activities and reports, institutions can improve their internal processes, make better decisions, better understand themselves, and increase the quality of their programs. Evaluation use has been studied by many researchers in varied contexts for about forty years. Many purposes and ideas have been presented in the most important journals and in many dissertations on program evaluation, concerning definitions of use, types of use, factors affecting use, and even occurrences of non-use or misuse. Yet, it is not so easy to find research that includes practical tools for measuring use in its multiple forms and intensities (Cousins, March 2011, email conversation). This presentation recounts the conceptual and practical development of a scale to measure evaluation use. The context for use of this scale is an accountability-oriented higher education evaluation system in Brazil.
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