Stakeholders’ shifting values in an evaluation of a literacy professional development programme
| Author | Leanne M Kallemeyn |
| Date | 01 December 2019 |
| DOI | 10.1177/1035719X19893064 |
| Published date | 01 December 2019 |
| Subject Matter | Praxis |
https://doi.org/10.1177/1035719X19893064
Evaluation Journal of Australasia
2019, Vol. 19(4) 211 –216
© The Author(s) 2019
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DOI: 10.1177/1035719X19893064
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Stakeholders’ shifting values
in an evaluation of a literacy
professional development
programme
Leanne M Kallemeyn
Loyola University Chicago, USA
Abstract
The author uses her experience as an evaluator for a literacy professional development
programme with urban elementary schools in the United States to illustrate failures
and successes with negotiating values and value judgements. Values are defined here
as ‘the basis of criteria that inform the judgement of merit, worth, or significance
of a program’, and value judgements are an assertion regarding the merit, worth
or significance of the programme based on a process of weighing the evidence in
relation to the value criteria. In the example, the author worked from what Schwandt
called a ‘descriptive view of valuing’, to describe the views and experiences of the
programme from a variety of perspectives in an effort to guide stakeholders in making
value judgements about the programme. The evaluator refrained from being the sole
authority that made value judgements and did not assume that prescriptive criteria
could be reached among stakeholders. The author offers her reflections on the
process as well as discussion questions for readers.
Keywords
complex, educational evaluation, evaluation, value judgement, values
Background
In 2010, I commenced a 6-year evaluation of a literacy professional development pro-
gramme with urban elementary schools in the United States that had many complex
Corresponding author:
Leanne M Kallemeyn, School of Education, Loyola University Chicago, 1122 Lewis Towers, 820 N.
Michigan Avenue, Chicago, IL 60611, USA.
Email: lkallemeyn@luc.edu
893064EVJ0010.1177/1035719X19893064Evaluation Journal of AustralasiaKallemeyn
research-article2019
Praxis
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