Full Description
Recipient of a 2021 Most Promising New Textbook Award from the Textbook & Academic Authors Association (TAA)
Evaluation in Today's World: Respecting Diversity, Improving Quality, and Promoting Usability is a timely and comprehensive textbook that guides students, practitioners, and users of evaluations in understanding evaluation purposes, theories, methodologies, and challenges within today's sociocultural and political context. Veronica G. Thomas and Patricia B. Campbell include discussions of evaluation history, frameworks, models, types, planning, and methods, through a social justice, diversity, and inclusive lens. The authors focus on ethics in diverse cultural contexts, help readers understand how social problems and programs get politicized and, sometimes, framed through a racialized lens, show how to engage stakeholders in the evaluation process, and communicate results in culturally appropriate ways.
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Contents
Preface
About the Authors
Acknowledgments
Chapter 1 Evaluations of Future: Inclusive, Equity-Focused, Useful, and Used
Introduction
An Overview of the Book
An Overview of Evaluation
Race, Racism, Social Justice, and a Racialized Perspective
Objectivity and Bias
Culture, Cultural Competence, and Cultural Responsiveness
The Impact of Politics
The Current Climate
Chapter 2 Evaluation Ethics and Quality Standards
Introduction
A Brief Historical Perspective on Research Ethics
Ethics in Evaluation
Cultural Competence as an Ethical Imperative
Ethical Sensitivity and Dilemmas
Ethical Challenges and Dilemmas Across the Evaluation Process
Ethical Principles and Standards for Evaluators and Evaluations
Evaluation Corruptibility and Fallacies
Evaluator Role, Power, Politics, and Ethics
Interplay of Politics and Ethics
Chapter 3 Historical Evolution of Program Evaluation Through a Social Justice Lens
Introduction
History of Evaluation Through a Social Justice Lens
Evaluation Prior to Modern Times of the 20th Century
Overview of Evaluation in the 20th Century
Hidden Figures and Histories in Early-20th-Century Evaluation
Evaluation in 1960-2000
Rethinking the Role of Evaluation
Influential Women in Evaluation: 1970s-1990s
Influential 20th-Century Evaluator: An Activity
21st-Century Evaluation: Expanding the Focus
Chapter 4 Evaluation Paradigms, Theories, and Models
Introduction
The Value of Scientific Paradigms and Theories in Evaluation
Social Science Paradigms and Theories
Program Theory of Change
Evaluation Theories, Models, and Approaches
Distinguishing Evaluation Theories, Models, and Approaches
Classifying Evaluation Approaches and Theories
Evaluation Theories Within a Cultural Context
Evaluation Approaches and Theories: A Summary Description of Selected Examples
Chapter 5 Social Justice and Evaluation: Theories, Challenges, Frameworks, and Paradigms
Introduction
Social Justice
Marginalized Groups
Theories Providing Context for Social Justice Evaluations
Race, Racism, and Evaluation
Challenges to Social Justice and Evaluation
Efforts to Reduce the Impact of Racism on Evaluation
Evaluation Models and Social Justice
Social Justice-Oriented Evaluation Frameworks and Paradigms
Chapter 6 Evaluation Types With a Cultural and Racial Equity Lens
Introduction
Classifying Evaluations
Different Types of Evaluations
Developmental Evaluations: Another Alternative to Formative-Summative
Putting It All Together
Chapter 7 Social Programming, Social Justice, and Evaluation
Introduction
Understanding Social Problems and Social Programs Through a Social Justice Lens
Structural Racism, Social Programming, and Evaluation
Integrating Program Planning and Evaluation Planning
Social Program Evaluations vs. Social Project Evaluations: Distinctions and Implications
Key Program/Project Components Every Evaluator Must Understand
Logic Models: Linking Program Components
Logic Models and Evaluation Planning
Beyond Traditional Linear Logic Models
Chapter 8 Responsive Stakeholder Engagement and Democratization of the Evaluation Process
Introduction
Who Are Stakeholders?
Valuing Stakeholders and Diverse Stakeholder Engagement
Identifying and Classifying the Right Stakeholders
Democratizing the Evaluation Process With Stakeholders
Relationships, Values, and Stakeholder Engagement
Responsive Stakeholder Engagement
Continuum of Stakeholder Engagement: From Nonresponsive to Responsive
Barriers to Responsive Stakeholder Engagement
Benefits of Responsive Stakeholder Engagement
Six-Step Process for Responsive Stakeholder Engagement
Communicating With Stakeholders
Chapter 9 Planning the Evaluation
Introduction
Dealing With Power Imbalances During Evaluation Planning
Planning for Culturally Responsive and Social Justice-Oriented Evaluations
Evaluation Planning Activities
Identifying and Involving Stakeholders in Evaluation Planning
Analysis of the Context
Identifying and Clarifying Project Goals
Identifying the Purpose(s) of the Evaluation
Defining Success in Evaluation Planning
Developing Timelines
Identifying Resource Needs
Assembling an Evaluation Team
Evaluation Planning and Management Visualization Tools
Developing a Written Evaluation Plan
Overcoming Pitfalls in Evaluation Planning
Chapter 10 Evaluation Questions That Matter
Introduction
Why Evaluation Questions That Matter?
Power and Privilege Issues in Formulating Evaluation Questions
Characteristics of Good Evaluation Questions: An Overview
Sources of Evaluation Questions
Prioritizing Evaluation Questions for Diverse Audiences
Inclusion/Exclusion Criteria for Prioritizing Evaluation Questions: Two Approaches
Steps to Identifying, Formulating, and Prioritizing Questions That Matter
Types of Evaluation Questions
Summary of Different Types of Evaluation Questions
Chapter 11 Selecting Appropriate Evaluation Designs
Introduction
Rigor
Control and Comparison Groups
Longitudinal Data
Evaluation Designs
Rival Hypotheses and Threats to Validity
The Best Design for the Question
Chapter 12 Defining, Collecting, and Managing Data
Introduction
Qualitative and Quantitative Data
Strengths and Weaknesses of Qualitative and Quantitative Data
Ensuring Data Quality
Protection of Human Participants
Using Existing Measures or Developing New Ones
Modes of Data Collection
Data Management
Chapter 13 The Best Analysis for the Data
Introduction
Deductive and Inductive Reasoning
Quantitative Analysis
Qualitative Analysis
Chapter 14 Reporting, Disseminating, and Utilizing Evaluation Results
Introduction
Reporting Results
Developing High-Quality, Accessible Reports and Presentations
Visually Representing Data
Dissemination
Using Evaluation Results
Chapter 15 Evaluation as a Business
Introduction
Perspectives on Doing Evaluation as a Business
Ethics
Business Knowledge and Skills
Contracts
Making a Business Financially Viable
Selecting a Business Entity
Developing a Business Plan
Chapter 16 Interconnections and Practical Implications
Introduction
Objectivity and Bias
Building Cultural Competence
Personalizing a Social Justice Perspective
Reflective Practice and Evaluative Thinking
Applying to Practice
Social Justice Evaluation
Politics and Evaluation
Voices From the Field: Advice for New Evaluators
A Final Thought
Supplemental Resources
Appendix A
Appendix B
Glossary
References
