What is the history of evaluation research? What is its current status?

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Evaluation research is not a method of data collection, as are survey research or experiments, nor is it a unique component of research designs, as are sampling or measurement. Instead, evaluation research is social research that is conducted for a distinctive purpose: to investigate social programs (such as substance abuse treatment programs, welfare programs, criminal justice programs, or employment and training programs). Rossi and Freeman (1989) define evaluation research as “the systematic application of social research procedures for assessing the conceptualization, design, implementation, and utility of social intervention programs” (p. 18). What exactly does systematic mean? Well, regardless of the treatment or program being examined, evaluations are systematic because they employ social research approaches to gathering valid and reliable data. Note the plural approaches instead of the singular approach. Evaluation research covers the spectrum of research methods that we have discussed in this text.
For each project, an evaluation researcher must select a research design and a method of data collection that are useful for answering the particular research questions posed and appropriate for the particular program investigated.
You can see why we placed this chapter after most of the others in the text: When you review or plan evaluation research, you have to think about the research process as a whole and how different parts of that process can best be combined.
Although scientific research methods had been used prior to the 1950s (in fact, as early as the 1700s) to evaluate outcomes of particular social experiments and programs, it was not until the end of the 1950s that social research became immersed in the workings of government with the common goal of improving society. During the 1960s, the practice of evaluation research increased dramatically, not only in the United States but also around the world. One of the main initiatives that spawned this growth of evaluation research in the United States was the so-called War on Poverty that was part of the Great Society legislation of the 1960s. When the federal government began to take a major role in alleviating poverty and the social problems associated with it, such as delinquency and crime, the public wanted accountability for the tax dollars spent on such programs. Were these programs actually having their intended effects? Did the benefits outweigh the costs? During this time, the methods of social science were used like never before to evaluate this proliferation of new programs.
By the mid-1970s, evaluators were called on not only to assess the overall effectiveness of programs but also to determine whether programs were being implemented as intended and to provide feedback to help solve programming problems as well. As an indication of the growth of evaluation research during this time, several professional organizations emerged to assist in the dissemination of ideas from the burgeoning number of social scientists engaged in this type of research in the United States, along with similar organizations in other countries (Patton, 1997).
By the 1990s, the public wanted even more accountability. Unfortunately, clear answers were not readily available. Few social programs could provide hard data on results achieved and outcomes obtained. Of course, government bureaucrats had produced a wealth of data on other things, including exactly how funds in particular programs were spent, for whom this money was spent, and for how many. However, these data primarily measured whether government staff were following the rules and regulations, not whether the desired results were being achieved. Instead of being rewarded for making their programs produce the intended outcomes (e.g., more jobs, fewer delinquents), the bureaucracy of government had made it enough simply to do the required paperwork of program monitoring.
Today, professional evaluation researchers have realized that it is not enough simply to perform rigorous experiments to determine program efficacy; they must also be responsible for making sure their results can be understood and utilized by the practitioners (e.g., government officials, corporations, and nonprofit agencies) to make decisions about scrapping or modifying existing programs. For example, Patton (1997) coined the term utilization-focused evaluation as a way to emphasize that evaluations should be judged by their utility and actual use. That is, how people in the real world, especially those who are not researchers, apply evaluation findings and experience the evaluation process. In addition, there has been increased concern in the field regarding fiscal accountability, documenting the worth of social program expenditures in relation to their costs. Let’s get started with some evaluation basics.