Fourth Generation Evaluation [Hardcover]

Fourth generation evaluation represents a monumental shift in evaluation practice. The authors highlight the inherent problems faced by previous generations of evaluators - politics, ethical dilemmas, imperfections and gaps, inconclusive deductions - and blame reliance on the scientific/positivist paradigm for failure. They show how fourth generation evaluation solves persistent problems in program evaluation, comprehensively describe the differences between the positivist and constructivist paradigms of research, and provide a practical plan of the steps and processes in conducting a fourth generation evaluation.

Fourth generation evaluation represents a monumental shift in evaluation practice. The authors highlight the inherent problems faced by previous generations of evaluators - politics, ethical dilemmas, imperfections and gaps, inconclusive deductions - and blame reliance on the scientific/positivist paradigm for failure. They show how fourth generation evaluation solves persistent problems in program evaluation, comprehensively describe the differences between the positivist and constructivist paradigms of research, and provide a practical plan of the steps and processes in conducting a fourth generation evaluation.

The Coming of Age of Evaluation
What Is Fourth Generation Evaluation? Why Should We Choose to Practice It?
What Is this Constructivist Paradigm Anyway?
Ethics and Politics
The Twin Failures of Positivist Science
Constructions and Reconstructions of Realities
Paradigms and Methodologies
The Methodology of Fourth Generation Evaluations
Judging the Quality of Fourth Generation Evaluation
Putting It All Together so that It Spells E-V-A-L-U-A-T-I-O-N