SAGE

SAGE 800.818.7243 OR 805.499.9774 6 A.M. TO 5 P.M. PT FAX: 805.375.5291 68 SAGE 800.818.7243 OR 805.499.9774 6 A.M. TO 5 P.M. PT FAX: 805.375.5291 68 EVALUATION SAGE MethodSpace writer Janet Salmons inter viewed Mark Lipsey to discuss evaluation research, explore how it relates to social science research, and share advice to help researchers achieve success. Below is an excerpt of the "question and answer" session she conducted. Evaluation Today Q & A with Mark Lipsey, co-author, with Peter H. Rossi and Gary T. Henry, of Evaluation: A Systematic Approach, 8e Q What specifi c skills are essential for professionals in the fi eld of evaluation? How can students or career changers develop appropriate research knowledge to prepare for work in this fi eld? Q Given your defi nition of evaluation research as: "a social science activity directed at collecting, analyzing, interpreting, and communicating information about the workings and effectiveness of social programs," what distinguishes evaluation from other types of social science research? Evaluation research is distinguished from other types of social science research not as much by the methods it uses as by the questions it addresses and the audience for the evaluation results. The questions have to do with some aspect of the performance of a social program or policy. An inherent characteristic of evaluation questions is that they typically judge how well the program is performing with regard to the issues raised in the motivating evaluation questions. And the audience for that information is those with decision-making responsibilities for the program and interested stakeholders. Q You describe the need to "ascertain the worth" of social programs. Researchers also need to demonstrate that their efforts are worthwhile and show the impact of their research on the advancement of knowledge. How can researchers use the systematic approaches described in your book to evaluate their own research departments or programs? The evaluation framework presented in Evaluation can give guidance to the process of specifying what a research department or program intends to accomplish, how it intends to do so, what indicators are appropriate to assess its performance, and how to use such data to guide and improve performance. A common route to evaluation expertise is academic training in an empirical social/behavioral science discipline followed by practical experience on an evaluation team and/or relevant topic-specifi c workshops. However, the question of the essential knowledge and skills for evaluators has been a matter of considerable discussion and some controversy. The American Evaluation Association recently developed a set of evaluation competencies that provide a good starting point for identifying essential knowledge and skills for evaluators (eval.org). Read the full interview on MethodSpace: methodspace.com/evaltotherescue

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