In the last three decades, the promotion of stakeholder involvement in evaluation has been gaining relevance in the Latin American and internationally, across varied agencies, institutions, and civic organizations. The 2030 Agenda and the Global Evaluation Agenda have also recognized the centrality of participation in evaluation. This article…

Evaluation use is a complex, iterative process involving diverse stakeholders and activities. Factors influencing evaluation use has long been discussed, however, little is known about current conceptualizations evaluation use including what counts as use, what encourages use, and how to measure use. Following two previous scoping reviews, we…

Factors influencing evaluation use has been a primary concern for evaluators. However, little is known about the current conceptualizations of evaluation use including what counts as use, what efforts encourage use, and how to measure use. This article identifies enablers and constraints to evaluation use based on a scoping review of literature…

Student-athletes in university undergo assessments in both sport and academic domains, which can encompass varying conceptions and outcomes related to assessment. However, questions on whether this 'doubling up' of assessments result in similar or different assessment-related outcomes, or whether assessments are conceived the same way across sport…

Our third article on the history of evaluation use affirms its importance in evaluation practice and related literature. It first highlights the centrality of use in the field's professionalizing documents, extant theories, and the persistence of continuing research. Next, it discusses the challenge of evaluation theories in general, including the…

This study analyzes evaluation influence theories to understand their unified contributions to a conceptual framework for research on evaluation influence in non-western contexts. Specifically, these theories are analyzed according to their usefulness for interpreting the consequences of the Annual Status of Education Report (ASER)--a cyclical,…

The notions of indigenous knowledge and cultural philosophies are becoming ubiquitous in many social inquiries, and evaluation is no exception. Nonetheless, the pursuit to embed relevant indigenous philosophies in contemporary evaluation has yet to succeed. In this article, we discuss indigenous relational philosophies, approaches, and practices…

Background: The use of research in policy settings is complex, unpredictable and influenced by a range of poorly understood social factors. This makes it difficult to plan for, facilitate and evaluate policy impacts arising from research. Aims and Objectives: 1. Propose and test tools for planning for and facilitating research impact, based on a…

The second article in this series on the history of evaluation use has three sections. The first and longest develops a functional definition of the term "use," noting that a thorough definition of evaluation use includes the initial stimulus (i.e., evaluation findings or process), the user, the way people use the information, the aspect…

In this article, Michael Quinn Patton pays tribute to Carol Hirschon Weiss, a woman who brought passion to evaluation use. She also brought attention to it, publishing the first article on evaluation in 1967. Weiss' many contributions have come into evaluation currency and overtaken formerly taken-for-granted assumptions. Indeed, her insights…

Program evaluation often suffers due to time constraints, imperfect instruments, incomplete data, and the need to report standardized metrics. This article about the evaluation process for the Wi$eUp financial education program showcases the difficulties inherent in evaluation and suggests best practices for assessing program effectiveness. We…

The evaluation theory tree typology reflects the following three components of evaluation practice: (a) methods, (b) use, and (c) valuing. The purpose of this study was to explore how evaluation practice is conceived as reflected in articles published in the "American Journal of Evaluation" ("AJE") and "Evaluation," a…

From a utilization-focused evaluation perspective, the success of an evaluation is rooted in the extent to which the evaluation was used by stakeholders. This paper details the "Expectations to Change" (E2C) process, an interactive, workshop-based method designed to engage primary users with their evaluation findings as a means of…

This article synthesizes interview data from evaluation directors and top executives of philanthropic foundations on how evaluation might better advance their missions. In key informant interviews, respondents commented on the purposes of evaluation from the foundation's perspective, challenges to effective evaluation, and the means by which…

In this paper, the author talks about Faster Forward Fund (3F). The basic idea of 3F is to provide support for three approaches within the evaluation field that are not the main foci of AEA activities, or of any other organization as far as is known: (1) to develop ideas that show promise for significantly accelerating the theory or practice of…