2nd Generation Evaluation: The Process Approach.
Part 2: The second generation.
Our first post focused on the goal-driven approach to evaluation and pointed out that while such methods excel at quantifying and measuring achievement, they often fall short in explaining the underlying dynamics of educational processes.
An alternative to focusing on how effectively the programme meets its goals is to focus on describing the processes used to meet them. To go back to the analogy of the archer: While a goal driven approach would measure how close the arrow is to the target, a process approach would describe the process – who the archer is, what he does, the weather conditions, the environment and so on. ?The method is grounded on the premise that stories prove far more convincing than pages of numbers. Qualitative accounts can provide rich descriptions and explanations of processes helping evaluators go beyond preconceptions and frameworks. The extreme version of this approach is the ‘goal-free evaluation’ in which the evaluator pays no attention to stated goals but instead examines what is actually happening, arguing that if the goals are relevant, they will show up.
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Critics of ethnographic evaluation models, that rely on thick descriptions is that, apart from being time consuming, they avoid judgements and therefore although rich in content the information is difficult to decipher for decision makers and policy analysts. While the first generation evaluation methods attempt to form judgements of effectiveness, the second generation methodology aims at greater depth of understanding of what is happening.
In summary, the second generation of evaluation shifts the focus from assessing outcomes to understanding the intricate workings and dynamics of the processes involved in achieving those outcomes. This approach acknowledges the complexity of educational systems and aims to provide nuanced insights. However, as all stories can be interpreted in multiple ways, the approach may lack directness in informing decision-making and policy development.