Faculty of Education - Theses
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ItemThe practice of realistic evaluation: a conceptual and empirical review( 2011)The field of evaluation is a growing area of professional practice. Yet, there is little empirical evidence to support the various ‘theories’ or ‘models’ of evaluation that have been developed to guide practice. In response to this dearth of knowledge regarding the functioning and use of evaluation theories, this thesis provides a conceptual and empirical analysis of Pawson and Tilley’s (1997) realistic approach to evaluation. Broadly speaking, realistic evaluation is a type or form of theory-driven evaluation that focuses on understanding and explaining how social programs work, for whom, and in what circumstances. Although the basic concept of ‘realistic evaluation’ appears to be well-known among evaluators, it remains less clear what realistic evaluation (as exemplified by Pawson and Tilley) actually looks like in practice. Consequently, there are many important questions to be addressed, such as: What do realistic evaluators actually do in their projects? In what kinds of settings and for what purposes are realistic evaluations conducted? To what extent are the underlying principles of realistic evaluation evident in practice? What benefits and challenges are reported by evaluators who have conducted a realistic evaluation? To find answers to these questions, 52 case examples of realistic evaluation were selected from the published literature. These cases were then reviewed empirically, using an adapted version of the coding and analysis procedures that Miller and Campbell (2006) developed to study empowerment evaluation practice. The results show that realistic evaluation is employed mainly by academic researchers who do not affiliate primarily with the field of evaluation. The case analyses also reveal that in recent years there has been a noticeable upward trend in use of this approach, particularly within the British health services area. It was also found that many of the studies selected for examination struggled to understand and implement the core principles of realistic evaluation effectively. Based on these findings, a number of suggestions are proposed to support the development of realistic evaluation and improve the implementation and utility of this approach. Implications for future research on realistic evaluation are also identified.