Evaluations that fail
Nasty emails, small samples and tenuous futures
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 12889131 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Amy Cox Hall (0000-0001-7002-9317, Amherst College, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2017 |
| Volume | 15 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 161-171 |
| Publication date | 2017-07-14 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Evidence & Policy (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1744-2648 • E-ISSN: 1744-2656 |
| Publisher | Policy Press (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1332/174426417x14998723379147 |
| OpenAlex | W2735395103 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 2 |
In this practice paper I examine the evaluation of one project and ask whether or not the evaluation failed. I suggest that because I was unaware of the larger connections between the grant agency and the grantee I made tactical errors in the presentation of findings, which resulted in not simply disagreement but anger and resentment. I conclude that evaluators might take better care in understanding larger institutional dynamics as well as the emotional magnitude of the project and of those being evaluated. The evaluation was not a failure from an empirical standpoint but it did demonstrate my inexperience in considering how the evaluation might be interpreted. Thus, I suggest that the evaluation failed in at least one respect: it foreclosed the possibility for thoughtful consideration and incorporation of the evaluation’s insights and findings. This failure, however, produced a gain: understanding conflict itself as evidence
Agency (philosophy · Anger · Business · Futures contract · Political science · Presentation (obstetrics · Public relations · Resentment · Social science · Sociology · Evaluation and Performance Assessment · Law · Medicine · Psychology · Social Psychology · Finance
| Citations per year | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2024 - 2026 (3) |
| Highly cited | No |