An experiment examined combinations of evaluation report type (anecdotal, critical outcomes, utility analysis) and impact level (low, average, high) on 233 managers' interpretation of human resources scenarios. Anecdotal reports were significantly less useful. Impact level had no effect. There was no interaction between report type and impact…

This reaction piece briefly reviews the findings from the Bober and Bartlett study of training evaluation use in corporate universities. It then focuses on the importance of context in understanding and facilitating evaluation use. The author suggests an alternative interpretation of particular findings based on a deeper consideration of the…