Reviving Preevaluative Research

Abstract

The concept of "pre-evaluative research" is examined in the context of a museum exhibition evaluation. Preevaluation research was recommended by some of the earliest writers in the evaluation field as a way of facilitating a formal, "ultimate, "of summative evaluation. It is viewed as distinct from, and complementary to, an evaluability assessment. The exhibit preevaluative study indicates that instrumentation and imple mentation issues are likely to benefit from such activities, but that design and analysis may still suffer.