The Fifth Edition of the bestselling Utilization-Focused Evaluation provides expert, detailed advice on conducting evaluations that promote effective use of the findings. Chock full of useful ...pedagogy, this book presents Michael Quinn Patton's distinctive opinions based on more than forty years of experience, and also the expertise of new co-author Charmagne E. Campbell-Patton. The authors begin by describing the essence of utilization-focused evaluation, and then outline 10 operating principles. They conclude with chapters focused on how evaluation can be used to promote a more thoughtful, equitable, and sustainable world. Richly illustrated with examples, figures, and cartoons, this engaging texts shows readers how to design and conduct evaluations that provide useful findings, and which contribute to a more equitable society. A companion website is available to accompany this book.
This article offers a framework for evaluating agroecological principles, practices, and claims. Advocates of agroecology offer principles for sustainable, productive, and efficient agricultural ...systems. The evaluation question that immediately and inevitably arises in the face of such claims is: Does agroecology work? Thus do 2 fields of inquiry intersect: evaluation and agroecology. But there are many approaches to and models of evaluation. The challenge is to match the evaluation framework to the nature of agroecology. Because agroecology is based on principles, the appropriate evaluation approach is principles-focused evaluation. This article (1) elucidates principles-focused evaluation and demonstrates its relevance to evaluating agroecological practices and claims, (2) offers a principles-focused evaluation framework for monitoring agroecological transition and intensification within a particular context, and (3) concludes with lessons about principles-focused evaluation from agroecology.
How can programmes and organisations ensure they are adhering to core principles - and assess whether doing so is yielding desired results? From evaluation pioneer Michael Quinn Patton, this book ...introduces the principles-focused evaluation (P-FE) approach and demonstrates its relevance and application in a range of settings. Patton explains why principles matter for programme development and evaluation and how they can serve as a rudder to navigate the uncertainties, turbulence and emergent challenges of complex dynamic environments.
Fundamental systems transformations are needed to address the global emergency brought on by climate change and related global trends, including the COVID-19 pandemic, which, together, pose ...existential threats to the future of humanity. Transformation has become the clarion call on the global stage. Evaluating transformation requires criteria. The revised Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development/Development Assistance Committee criteria are adequate for business as usual summative and accountability evaluations but are inadequate for addressing major systems transformations. Six criteria for evaluating transformations are offered, discussed, and illustrated by applying them to the pandemic and the Global Alliance for the Future of Food. The suggested criteria illustrate possibilities. The criteria for judging any intervention should be developed in the context of and aligned with the purpose of a specific evaluation and information needs of primary intended users. This article concludes that the greatest danger for evaluators in times of turbulence is not the turbulence—it is to act with yesterday’s criteria.
Varying philosophical and theoretical orientations to qualitative inquiry remind us that issues of quality and credibility intersect with audience and intended research purposes. This overview ...examines ways of enhancing the quality and credibility of qualitative analysis by dealing with three distinct but related inquiry concerns: rigorous techniques and methods for gathering and analyzing qualitative data, including attention to validity, reliability, and triangulation; the credibility, competence, and perceived trustworthiness of the qualitative researcher; and the philosophical beliefs of evaluation users about such paradigm-based preferences as objectivity versus subjectivity, truth versus perspective, and generalizations versus extrapolations. Although this overview examines some general approaches to issues of credibility and data quality in qualitative analysis, it is important to acknowledge that particular philosophical underpinnings, specific paradigms, and special purposes for qualitative inquiry will typically include additional or substitute criteria for assuring and judging quality, validity, and credibility. Moreover, the context for these considerations has evolved. In early literature on evaluation methods the debate between qualitative and quantitative methodologists was often strident. In recent years the debate has softened. A consensus has gradually emerged that the important challenge is to match appropriately the methods to empirical questions and issues, and not to universally advocate any single methodological approach for all problems.
This chapter reviews the historical emergence of evaluative thinking as an essential approach to evaluation practice. The contributions of evaluation pioneers to the identification and development of ...evaluation logic as a specialized form of critical thinking are honored. The conclusion articulates the high stakes involved, the life and death importance of thinking evaluatively in these uncertain and perilous times.
Sustainability has traditionally been associated with maintaining programs and their results over time, especially after focused funding has been withdrawn. This is a static view of sustainability. ...With the infusion of systems thinking and complexity theory into evaluation, and in the face of climate change and the vision for the future of humanity represented by the Sustainability Development Goals, sustainability has become associated with major and rapid transformation of global systems and the resilience of transformed systems to adapt over time. This is a dynamic view of sustainability with implications for both design of transformation initiatives and evaluating them. Evaluating transformation means transforming evaluation. Evaluation for transformational sustainability treats the whole Earth as the evaluand and the future of humanity on Earth as the essential sustainability issue, and does so with a sense of urgency.
This essay explores what is involved in leading a social transformation to create public value and advance the common good. The contrast here is with strategic leadership of organizations, ...collaborations, and social movements. Leading a social transformation is much bigger. The required changes are multi-issue, multi-level, multi-organizational, and cross-sectoral, and can cross national frontiers. Deep and broad changes, often involving radical innovations, are needed. Deep and abiding changes in relationships - and power relationships - among people and groups are required. Leadership of organizations, collaborations, and social movements is still important for transformation, but not enough. Instead, advancing social transformation requires leadership that is deeply relational, visionary, political, adaptive, and comfortable with complexity.
Pedagogy of evaluation entails examining how and what evaluation teaches. Embedded in different evaluation approaches are varying assumptions, values, premises, priorities, sense‐making processes, ...and principles. Elucidating and illuminating principles is fundamental to identifying and understanding a pedagogy of evaluation. Ten pedagogical principles from Paulo Freire's writings are identified and explained. Each principle is then examined for its relevance to a critical pedagogy of evaluation for evaluation theory and practice today and looking forward. Freire understood and taught us that all interactions between and among people are pedagogical, something is always being taught, conveyed, and proselytized. Extending this insight to evaluation, Freire's work reminds us that all evaluation approaches constitute a pedagogy of some kind. What any particular evaluation teaches and how it is taught varies, but evaluation is inherently and predominantly a pedagogical interaction. This leads to the concluding question: What is your pedagogy of evaluation?
Situated on the use branch of the Evaluation Theory Tree, Michael Patton draws from his experience with collective impact initiatives to explore the complexity of administering and evaluating such a ...program. He presents an evaluation proposal for the Women Affirming Motherhood (WAM) program that is organized around five key operating principles and that is rooted in a utilization‐focused, developmental, and principles‐focused evaluation approach. Overall, Patton argues for collaboration with an emphasis on stakeholder learning and participation.
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