Realistic Evaluation

Download or read book Realistic Evaluation written by Ray Pawson and published by SAGE. This book was released on 1997-06-23 with total page 260 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Table of Contents

Download or read book The Science of Evaluation written by Ray Pawson and published by SAGE. This book was released on 2013-02-01 with total page 244 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Evaluation researchers are tasked with providing the evidence to guide programme building and to assess its outcomes. As such, they labour under the highest expectations - bringing independence and objectivity to policy making. They face huge challenges, given the complexity of modern interventions and the politicised backdrop to all of their investigations. They have responded with a huge portfolio of research techniques and, through their professional associations, have set up schemes to establish standards for evaluative inquiry and to accredit evaluation practitioners. A big question remains. Has this monumental effort produced a progressive, cumulative and authoritative body of knowledge that we might think of as evaluation science? This is the question addressed by Ray Pawson in this sequel to Realistic Evaluation and Evidence-based Policy. In answer, he provides a detailed blueprint for an evaluation science based on realist principles.

Download or read book Evaluation for the 21st Century written by Eleanor Chelimsky and published by SAGE. This book was released on 1997-01-28 with total page 558 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Evaluation for the 21st Century features thoughtfully written introductions to each of the main sections that provide a context and synthesis of the various evaluators' chapters. After reading this groundbreaking book, researchers and practitioners will be able to recognize these new developments in evaluation as they encounter them, place them in context, and incorporate them into their own evaluation professions and practices.

Download or read book Doing Realist Research written by Nick Emmel and published by SAGE. This book was released on 2018-06-18 with total page 273 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Bringing together leading theorists, researchers and policy makers with expertise in using realist methods, this book is a definitive guide to putting realist methodologies into practice. Not just an overview of the field, this book looks to extend current debates and apply realist methods to new and practical challenges in social research. Featuring practical, worked examples of how to turn theory into evidence, it empowers readers not just to understand realist methods, but to use them. It will help readers: - Negotiate the complexity of relational systems - Understand the importance and relevance of cumulative theory - Address concerns over data sources and quality - Be flexible and creative in realist approaches - Produce useful evidence for policy. Sophisticated and globally minded, this book is the perfect addition to the ongoing development and application of realist methods across evaluation, synthesis, and social research.

Download or read book Evaluating Research in Academic Journals written by Maria Tcherni-Buzzeo and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2018-10-30 with total page 290 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Evaluating Research in Academic Journals is a guide for students who are learning how to evaluate reports of empirical research published in academic journals. It breaks down the process of evaluating a journal article into easy-to-understand steps, and emphasizes the practical aspects of evaluating research – not just how to apply a list of technical terms from textbooks. The book avoids oversimplification in the evaluation process by describing the nuances that may make an article publishable even when it has serious methodological flaws. Students learn when and why certain types of flaws may be tolerated, and why evaluation should not be performed mechanically. Each chapter is organized around evaluation questions. For each question, there is a concise explanation of how to apply it in the evaluation of research reports. Numerous examples from journals in the social and behavioral sciences illustrate the application of the evaluation questions, and demonstrate actual examples of strong and weak features of published reports. Common-sense models for evaluation combined with a lack of jargon make it possible for students to start evaluating research articles the first week of class. New to this edition New chapters on: evaluating mixed methods research evaluating systematic reviews and meta-analyses program evaluation research Updated chapters and appendices that provide more comprehensive information and recent examples Full new online resources: test bank questions and PowerPoint slides for instructors, and self-test chapter quizzes, further readings and additional journal examples for students.

Download or read book Evidence-Based Policy written by Ray Pawson and published by SAGE. This book was released on 2006-04-07 with total page 415 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this important new book, Ray Pawson examines the recent spread of evidence-based policy making across the Western world. Few major public initiatives are mounted these days in the absence of a sustained attempt to evaluate them. Programmes are tried, tried and tried again and researched, researched and researched again. And yet it is often difficult to know which interventions, and which inquiries, will withstand the test of time. The evident solution, going by the name of evidence-based policy, is to take the longer view. Rather than relying on one-off studies, it is wiser to look to the ′weight of evidence′. Accordingly, it is now widely agreed the most useful data to support policy decisions will be culled from systematic reviews of all the existing research in particular policy domains. This is the consensual starting point for Ray Pawson′s latest foray into the world of evaluative research. But this is social science after all and harmony prevails only in the first chapter. Thereafter, Pawson presents a devastating critique of the dominant approach to systematic review - namely the ′meta-analytic′ approach as sponsored by the Cochrane and Campbell collaborations. In its place is commended an approach that he terms ′realist synthesis′. On this vision, the real purpose of systematic review is better to understand programme theory, so that policies can be properly targeted and developed to counter an ever-changing landscape of social problems. The book will be essential reading for all those who loved (or loathed) the arguments developed in Realistic Evaluation (Sage, 1997). It offers a complete blueprint for research synthesis, supported by detailed illustrations and worked examples from across the policy waterfront. It will be of especial interest to policy-makers, practitioners, researchers and students working in health, education, employment, social care, criminal justice, regeneration and welfare.

Download or read book Realist Evaluation written by Ana Manzano and published by Taylor & Francis. This book was released on 2024-11-29 with total page 276 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Realist Evaluation: Principles and Practice offers a comprehensive exploration of contemporary realist evaluation, showcasing how skilled practitioners navigate diverse fieldwork contexts. Authored by experts spanning academia and evaluation backgrounds across five continents in fields including climate change, criminology, health, and international development, the book provides a rich tapestry of perspectives. Covering participatory approaches, digital and visual data collection, interpreter-mediated interviews, and innovative methods like refuse data analysis, the authors delve into contemporary social research methodologies while addressing issues such as power, insider/outsider research, the nature of evidence, critical and scientific realism philosophies of science, and confirmation bias in qualitative research. Practical advice is provided in areas such as developing a topic guide, combining a realist review with an evaluation, and managing large, multi-site cross-national projects. This collection underscores the creative nature of the realist imagination, highlighting ongoing innovations by scholars and evaluators. With contributions from an outstanding group of internationally renowned experts in realist evaluation including Nick Tilley, a key figure in the development of realist evaluation alongside Ray Pawson, this is the ideal text for students, researchers and professionals including policy makers, professional evaluators, and those at organisations such as thinktanks and NGOs, who require an accessible guide on how to use realist evaluation methods.