Program evaluation must be practiced by all members of all trades, disciplines, professions, or any other group of people whose efforts are aimed at making a difference. There is a role for "content free" evaluation methodology resources, but not for a professional "content free" evaluator. (RL)

The use of a qualitative technique, the evaluator's journal, is proposed for supplementing quantitative methods of program evaluation. The journal's functions are described as a data storage instrument, biography of the program, and source of feedback. Five types, or approaches, illustrate its capability for accommodating unique needs. (GK)

Suggests that meaningful evaluation requires a pre-evaluation design that assures evaluators and decision-makers that they know what they want from an evaluation and that they are able to get unambiguous and useful information, and that methodological and logistical problems of evaluation be considered at the outset. (Author/IRT)

Describes a partnership of youth and adults in Ontario, Canada in the generative process of participatory evaluation as youth and adults jointly produced a conference as a participatory evaluation and worked as democratic equals toward a common goal. (SLD)

Used findings from the evaluations of California's Greater Avenues for Independence program and the National Evaluation of Welfare-to-Work Strategies to illustrate why it is important to question the legitimacy of such syntheses. Results show how tempting generalizations are not justified. (SLD)

Setting the context for this theme issue on responsive evaluation, this article describes the core ideas of Robert Stake's responsive evaluation, presenting them as originally framed and discussing their evolution over time. Explains that the rhetoric and ethic of responsive evaluation is to be open, to find more than the initial issues. (SLD)

Presents a vocabulary of the evaluation capacity building (ECB) field and reviews the relatively small ECB literature and what it teaches for evaluation practice. Introduces the other chapters of this special issue on ECB. (SLD)

Summarizes and analyzes the four case studies of this theme issue. The analyses consider the three structural elements of evaluation capacity building (ECB): overall ECB process; actual ECB practices; and ECB occupational orientation and practitioner role. Provides a practical checklist for assessing ECB at an organization and a framework for…

Discusses postmodernism as a complicated concept. The postmodern challenge to social science, particularly to program evaluation, and its contribution to evaluation are the subjects of vignettes from practice and a limited exploration, one that borrows from a playfully absurdist postmodern style. (Author/SLD)

Reviews a collection of 10 case descriptions of ethical problems in evaluation and 10 commentaries on them that appeared in the "American Journal of Evaluation" from 1998 to 2001. Explores the meaning of "ethical problems" and the relationship of ethics to best practices. (SLD)

A mentoring evaluation method that is both a learning tool and a measurement tool involves (1) assessing performance in the roles of communicator, counselor, coach, advisor, broker, referral agent, and advocate; and (2) evaluating on a continuum the impact of mentoring discussions. (JOW)

After a brief review of previous studies of justifying claims in evaluation practice, an analysis is provided using the jurisprudence metaphor of S. Toulmin (1958) in the assessment of evaluative arguments. Applications and implications for evaluation practice are discussed. (SLD)

Describes the tasks undertaken in the cycle of evaluation of housing programs by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation prior to 1997 and analyzes the major evaluation projects in terms of the similarity of constituent tasks. Introduces combinatorial methods and new research applications. (SLD)

Examined six published papers using a theory-based evaluation (TBE) approach. Found that authors of the papers did not always make explicit the relation of their data to the theory of the program. Identified some ways in which TBE contributed to the merit of the evaluation. Outlines lessons for the future of TBE. (SLD)