ERIC Number: EJ1275022
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2020-Dec
Pages: 11
Abstractor: As Provided
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ISSN: ISSN-1098-2140
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Internal Formative Meta-Evaluation: Assuring Quality in Evaluation Practice
Harnar, Michael A.; Hillman, Jeffrey A.; Endres, Cheryl L.; Snow, Juna Z.
American Journal of Evaluation, v41 n4 p603-613 Dec 2020
The term "meta-evaluation"--referring to the "evaluation of evaluations"--has been in the evaluation lexicon for a half-century. Despite this longevity, research on meta-evaluation is sparse and even more so for internal formative types of meta-evaluation. This exploratory study builds on our understanding of meta-evaluative methods by exploring evaluators' approaches to ensuring quality practice. A sample of practitioners was drawn from the American Evaluation Association membership and invited to share their quality assurance practices through an online survey. Respondents reported using a variety of tools to ensure quality in their practice, including published and unpublished standards, principles and guidelines, and processes involving stakeholder engagement at various stages of evaluation. A distinction was identified between an intrinsic, merit-focused perspective on quality that is more or less controlled by the evaluator and an extrinsic, worth-focused perspective on quality primarily informed by key stakeholders of the evaluation.
Descriptors: Evaluation Methods, Formative Evaluation, Evaluation Research, Quality Assurance, Stakeholders, Standards, Evaluators
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
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Language: English
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