Exemplars as Case Studies: Reflections on the Links Between Theory, Practice, and Context

Abstract

Responding to the call for more research on the practice of evaluation and its link to theory, this article uses the interviews conducted with exemplary evaluators or exemplars in the American Journal of Evaluation as cases to describe and analyze the practice of exemplary evaluators. Dimensions of analysis included context, purpose, advance organizers, breadth and depth of stakeholder involvement, method proclivity, and use of results. Results showed that on these cases, evaluators differed on purpose, advance organizers, and choices on breadth or depth of stakeholder involvement. Determining merit and worth was a frequent and primary purpose for many. All used mixed methods, but varied in the confidence they placed in different methods. Instrumental use was identified in each evaluation. Some evaluators’ practice was congruent with theories; others were more atheoretical. Differences were often nuanced, influenced by both context and evaluator proclivity.