What, How, and Why? A Comparative Analysis of 12 Goal-Free Evaluations
Background: Goal-free evaluation (GFE) is any evaluation in which the evaluator conducts the evaluation without reference to predetermined goals or objectives. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine GFE in actual practice focusing on what GFE is, how it is conducted, and why the evalua...
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| Format: | Book |
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The Evaluation Center at Western Michigan University,
2019-12-01T00:00:00Z.
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| Summary: | Background: Goal-free evaluation (GFE) is any evaluation in which the evaluator conducts the evaluation without reference to predetermined goals or objectives. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine GFE in actual practice focusing on what GFE is, how it is conducted, and why the evaluators use it. Setting: Not applicable. Intervention: Not applicable. Research Design: Document analysis. Data Collection and Analysis: The researcher collected data from a non-random sample of 12 cases of GFE found in published and non-published papers, reports, and guidebooks. The researcher analyzed the documents using quantitative and qualitative content analysis. Findings: The findings suggest that goal-free evaluators consider GFE an outcome evaluation that supplements GBE. These goal-free evaluators typically used an ex post facto evaluation design, non-random sampling of stakeholders, and semi-structured interviewing to collect data. The evaluators described using GFE to improve the evaluand, to find side-effects, and to evaluate highly complex evaluands. |
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| Item Description: | 10.56645/jmde.v15i33.444 1556-8180 |