What Approaches Are There to Conducting Evaluations?
By Sarah M. Dunifon
Outcomes are the intended changes that a program or intervention seeks to bring about. Similar When you get a little bit more experienced in evaluation, you’ll learn that there is no “one size fits all.” Instead, there are vehicles for evaluation that differ, based on your needs, your context, and your outlook.
You may remember from this earlier blog post that I tend to think about evaluation in different categories.
One category is the types of evaluations one could conduct (e.g., formative, summative, process/implementation, outcome, etc.). These vary based on the point in a program or intervention in which you might employ evaluation, as well as the needs of your project. For instance, if you need some early-stage data on your planned museum exhibit, you might conduct a formative evaluation to understand what visitors want out of a new exhibit. Or maybe you’re looking to understand the impacts or outcomes of your program on participants. There, you’ll perhaps choose a summative or outcome evaluation to conduct at the end of your program. A process or implementation evaluation would give you good information on how things are working in your program, and perhaps what can be addressed during the program instead of at the end.
Another category is the ways of conducting evaluation or evaluation theories (e.g., equitable evaluation, culturally-responsive evaluation, participatory evaluation, etc.). These you might think of as the lenses through which an evaluator approaches their work.
In different evaluation spaces, you might see other names for commonly used theories or ways of conducting evaluation. In informal STEM learning evaluation, a few examples of commonly used theories include:
Utilization-focused Evaluation
Values Engaged Evaluation (VEE)
Empowerment Evaluation
Participatory Evaluation
Culturally Responsive Evaluation
Equitable Evaluation
Now, I certainly don’t expect my clients to be experts in these ways and types of evaluations. These differences are more meaningful to evaluation specialists who spend all day thinking about these things. But, it can be useful for informal STEM education professionals to know a bit about the differences between these terms, in order to guide your evaluation thinking and find the right evaluator for the job. For example, if you’re running a program focused on STEM equity with participants who have been traditionally marginalized in STEM fields, you’ll want an evaluator who has the understanding and experience to appropriately address the work. You might look for someone who is experienced in culturally responsive evaluation or equitable evaluation. Or, if you’re really interested in finding an evaluator who will work with you and your participants/community on the evaluation (rather than swoop in as an expert, drop a report in your lap and swoop out), you’ll want someone who is practiced in participatory evaluation. Or maybe you’re interested in someone who can translate the evaluation into actionable steps for program improvement. Then, you’ll look for someone who practices utilization-focused evaluation.
And remember that many evaluators practice several types of ways of conducting evaluations, so when possible ask them (1) how they would approach your work and (2) if they have experience in the type of evaluation you think you need. Evaluators can always help you define this as well! If you’re feeling lost or uncertain about what you need, you can always ask an evaluator for a consultation to figure out what type of evaluation and approach might be best.
If you’re interested in learning more, check out this resource compendium on evaluation from CAISE InformalScience.org.
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As you can see, there’s a lot to think about when choosing an approach for evaluation. Follow along by signing up for our newsletter to learn more tips on building your evaluation literacy.