Professor Emeritus of Psychology Penn State University, United States
This presentation begins with a few brief sketches of classic studies of evaluation use, and then describes the potential value of research on evaluation influence. Methods options for research on evaluation influence are described, such as an expansion of Outcome Harvesting. The methods options also include techniques for “short stories,” rather than a more comprehensive effort aimed at telling the “whole tale” of the pathway from an evaluation to the downstream outcomes to which it has contributed. The distinction between “whole tale” and “short story” investigations highlights that different research questions can be examined in studies of evaluation influence. Accordingly, this presentation also describes and illustrates different research questions for research on evaluation influence.
