90 - Hypothesis-Driven Evaluations: A New Conceptual and Methodological Framework

Abstract Information: Conceptual and methodological challenges remain one of the most prominent limitations in the evaluations of social programs and policies. Even mixed-method approaches do not fully capture the range of process and outcomes, leading to uncertainty regarding conclusion of the evaluation. The trade-off between emphasizing on specificity to increase confidence, thereby minimizing the scope, and emphasizing on wholisticity to capture range, thereby compromising on confidence, is often a difficult choice to make. One reason for this is the lack of a range of conceptual and methodological framework choices. Drawing on a lesson learned from years of teaching evidence-based practice and program evaluation courses to graduate students, this presentation will share a new conceptual and methodological framework. The proposed new conceptual and methodological framework has the potential to overcome some of the challenges in evaluation.