Foundations of Program Evaluation: Theories of Practice / Edition 1

by William R. Shadish, Thomas D. Cook, Laura C. Leviton

Overview

Foundations of Program Evaluation heralds a thorough exploration of the field of program evaluation—looking back on its origins. By summarizing, comparing, and contrasting the work of seven major theorists of program evaluation, this book provides an important perspective on the current state of evaluation theory and provides suggestions for ways of improving its practice. Beginning in Chapter Two, the authors develop a conceptual framework to analyze how successfully each theory meets the specific criteria of its framework. Each subsequent chapter is devoted to the presentation of the theoretical and practical advice of a significant theorist—Michael Scriven, Donald Campbell, Carol Weiss, Joseph Wholey, Robert Stake, Lee Cronbach, and Peter Rossi.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780803953017
Publisher:	SAGE Publications
Publication date:	11/01/1990
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	536
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 8.90(h) x 1.40(d)

Table of Contents

PART ONE: INTRODUCTION
Social Program Evaluation
Its History, Tasks and Theory
Good Theory for Social Program Evaluation
PART TWO: STAGE ONE THEORIES: BRINGING TRUTH TO SOCIAL PROBLEM SOLVING
Michael S Scriven
The Science of Valuing
Donald T Campbell
Methodologist of the Experimenting Society
PART THREE: STAGE TWO THEORIES: GENERATING ALTERNATIVES EMPHASIZING USE AND PRAGMATISM
Carol H Weiss
Linking Evaluation to Policy Research
Joseph S Wholey
Evaluation for Program Improvement
Robert E Stake
Responsive Evaluation and Qualitative Methods
PART FOUR: STAGE THREE THEORIES: TRYING TO INTEGRATE THE PAST
Lee J Cronbach
Functional Evaluation Design for a World of Political Accommodation
Peter H Rossi
Comprehensive, Tailored, Theory-Driven Evaluations - A Smorgasbord of Options
PART FIVE: CONCLUSIONS
Summary and Implications for Evaluation Theory and Practice