Evaluative thinking
| Published date | 01 June 2023 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/1035719X231163932 |
| Author | Michael J Cole |
| Date | 01 June 2023 |
| Subject Matter | Academic Article |
Academic Article
Evaluation Journal of Australasia
2023, Vol. 23(2) 70–90
© The Author(s) 2023
Article reuse guidelines:
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DOI: 10.1177/1035719X231163932
journals.sagepub.com/home/evj
Evaluative thinking
Michael J Cole
Evaluation and Research, Australian Government Department of Social Services, Canberra, AU, Australia
Abstract
Evaluative thinking is a core skill used by evaluators. It brings evaluation practice to a
higher level of sophistication and utility and helps to ensure that evaluation findings,
interpretations and recommendations are contextualised, evidence-based and
practical. This article draws upon decades of the work of evaluators who have
published on thinking critically and evaluatively. It identifies and explores the five
primary elements of evaluative thinking –critical, contextual, creative, practical
thinking and reflective practice –and offers a practical framework for examining and
applying these elements of evaluative thinking. It also distinguishes evaluative
thinking from evaluation planning and implementation, which it precedes and
guides. Finally, it proposes that evaluative thinking should be examined and learned
intentionally as a core evaluation skill just as, for example, various methodologies or
methods of analysis are taught.
Keywords
Theory, evaluative thinking, evaluation skills, critical thinking, evaluation planning
Corresponding author:
Michael J Cole, Evaluation and Research, Australian Government Department of Social Services,
71 Athllon Drive, Greenway, Canberra, AU 2900, Australia.
Email: michaeljcole@y7mail.com
What we already know:
·The importance of critical thinking as an intellectual tool of evaluation
has been defined, described and discussed in the literature
·Much has been written on the importance of evaluative thinking, its
features and its applications
The original contribution the article makes to theory and/
or practice:
·This article brings together the major discussions and descriptions of
evaluative thinking
·It provides a framework to better examine and consider the
characteristics and usage of evaluative thinking
·Provides a springboard for further debate and development of these
concepts
Introduction
Evaluation is characterised as a transdiscipline that harnesses a diversity of methods
and frameworks (Lemire et al., 2020). It intersects with and draws upon multiple
disciplines to craft effective evaluative approaches for examining complex social
problems and assessing their proposed solutions. It requires sophisticated skills in
analysis and problem-solving. It also involves transformational thinking oper-
ationalised through collaborative, reflective and dialogic approaches (Preskill & Torres,
2000) or the social construction of meaning. Evaluative thinking is an essential set of
skills for evaluators.
This exploration of evaluative thinking draws upon decades of evaluators’published
work on thinking critically and evaluatively and weaves it into a practical framework
for examining and applying evaluative thinking. In doing so, it invites the reader to
consider that evaluative thinking is distinctly part of evaluation and that evaluators, in
general, are distinguishable by their application of evaluative thinking. This paper
presents a schema for evaluative thinking based on a fusion of the ideas in the published
literature and integrates decades of the work of evaluators who have published their
research and reflections on a topic which is foundational to current and emerging good
practice in evaluation. This author makes no claims to the generation of these concepts,
only of bringing them together in a practical framework for better examination and
application. This article also draws on personal reflections on 20 years of experience in
program design and evaluation practice in many different countries.
Cole 71
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