Like any other person, Albert Einstein was an informal evaluator, engaged in placing value on various aspects of his life, work, and the world. Based on Einstein's own statements, this paper speculates about what Einstein would have been like as a connoisseur evaluator, a conceptual evaluator, or a responsive evaluator. (Author/BW)

New perspectives on evaluation methodology have been drawn from other disciplines such as law, casework and journalism. Empirical and conceptual tests to assess the practical utility of alternative perspectives of the evaluation process, and criteria for judging their adequacy are addressed. (Author/AEF)

The evaluation methods of "naturalistic inquiry" and of "judicial evaluation" support the importance of argumentation; but "The New Rhetoric; A Treatise on Argumentation" focuses on the technique of argument and neglects the problems of judging the merits of conflicting arguments and of harnessing argumentation to…

Use and misuse of evaluation results are discussed. Variations in evaluation definitions, entity used, nature of the user, time and place of evaluation use, personal factor, basic premises of utilization-focused evaluation, misutilization, and method and rationales for use are discussed. A case example with a federal program is outlined. (TJH)

An evaluation design is seen to ensure the presence of certain qualities in an evaluation; values and valued qualities permeate the evaluation design. Mechanisms for evaluations (in-process reviews, follow-up studies, etc.) are dealt with and familiarity with financial, managerial, and ethical procedures are stressed in the evaluation design. (CE)

The purpose of this paper is two-fold: first, it identifies a number of needs assessment issues and, second, it describes the operationalization of a needs assessment project based in one particular college setting. It confronts the realities of practice with the ideals of instructional modeling. (CE)

The Judicial Evaluation Model (JEM) is presented as a necessary supplement to the technique developed in "The New Rhetoric: A Treatise on Argumentation" because persuasion only serves the side that wins, whereas JEM serves to keep inquiry reasonable and impartial and to enhance credibility. (CTM)

The emergence of subjective and critical approaches to the evaluation of educational reform is examined. The need to identify and clarify values and to develop comparative and dialectical evaluation models and approaches are discussed. (RL)

This essay discusses principles which govern evaluation theorizing, describing theorizing as a subjective, informal, and dynamic process. The papers of Rippey, Guba, and Wolf are used to illustrate the process of theory development, with special reference to evaluation as rhetoric. (See TM 504 630-635). (CTM)

Actual and potential contributions from the fields of anthropology, sociology, ecological and environmental psychology, and ethology to measurement and evaluation, particularly in early childhood education, are discussed. The diversity and potency of these approaches suggest that a multidisciplinary, eclectic approach to finding measures for…

Recent research has demonstrated that social skills training can be successful in bringing about enduring gains in unpopular children's sociometric status among peers. Further progress in promoting social competence in peer relations will depend upon the development of a framework for conceptualizing the process components underlying social…

Utilization should be defined according to the evaluation approach used and the purposes established for it. By developing a matrix that includes the dimensions of utilization and the various evaluation approaches, it is possible to plan and conduct evaluations that increase the likelihood of the desired type of utilization. (Author/LC)

Differences among impartiality, objectivity, partisanship, fanaticism, and skepticism are viewed as relevant to the role of the evaluator. The desirability of establishing a community of minds committed to argumentation before beginning an evaluation is suggested. (Author/CTM)

This paper explores the implications of "user-focused evaluation" by examining the information utilization dynamics of the evaluation of the Caribbean Agricultural Extension Project. (BW)

The fundamental assumptions of evaluation are recognition of the multiple realities or truths, and importance of rationality. The major roles of evaluation are critical examination, clarification, and facilitation of change. Finally, the evaluator should be aware that political, human, economic, and legal influences on an evaluation relate…