The "Baggaging" of Theory-Based Evaluation

Abstract

Program theory and its use in evaluation seems to be an argument that just won’t go away—depending on which part of the world one is in. What is it about theory-based evaluation (or the different understandings of it) that polarizes some but brings others together? A little digging shows that there are some serious misconceptions among both the program theory evangelists and the “theoro-skeptics,” while some of the best innovations are coming from those who understand program theory’s potential and limitations and are just getting on with using it to move our discipline forward.