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This book examines the range of new theories, research, and applications in the most generative areas of positive psychology, at the dawn of a new wave of positive psychology scholarship-one that is increasingly sensitive to real-world issues, adversity, culture, and context. In the 17 years since the inception of the movement, the field of positive psychology has grown tremendously and inspired research and practice across a range of sub-areas. Scientific Advances in Positive Psychology showcases the wide range of new theories, research, applications, and explorations in what can be termed "the next wave of positive psychology," presenting novel findings and theories that acknowledge and mainstream sensitivity to real-world issues, adversity, culture, and context, in fresh new ways. The contributors to the work-among the best known and most experienced in the field-trace the growth of new developments in each of the key foci of positive psychology, including happiness, character strengths, and gratitude, and document the latest research, theory, and applications. The volume focuses on the contributions and development of positive psychology sub-fields, such as positive organizational psychology and positive youth development, as well as their primary application areas, such as positive education. Offers an unprecedented examination of the most generative subjects in positive psychology Provides a scientifically grounded, thorough, and accessible overview of positive psychology theory, research, and practice Showcases a new wave of positive psychology that is mainstreaming increased sensitivity to adversity, culture, and contextual factors Brings together contributions from renowned leaders and prolific thinkers in positive psychology Presents cutting-edge information that will be useful to scholars, students, as well as general readers
The impetus for this volume lives in a rich and vibrant past. It is organized to honor one of the founders and most prolific contributors to the professional and transdiscipline of evaluation -- Professor Michael Scriven, and to illuminate the future of evaluation in society. Professor Scriven often shares stories of his meetings with Albert Einsten and the frame-breaking evaluation revolution he has led against the value free doctrine of the social sciences. Both his wide eyed graduate students and the more grizzled evaluation veterans in his professional development workshops quickly learn that Scriven is well traveled and has exchanged some of the boldest ideas and visions with the most brilliant thinkers of his time. Scriven insisted that the 2011 Stauffer Symposium and this volume be organized in that genre. He urged us to invite the most thoughtful and influential evaluation theorists and practitioners we could find to join him in a conversation about the future of evaluation in society. Scriven challenges us to examine the five great paradigm shifts that have revolutionized the foundations of evaluation, and that he believes will form the basis for a much brighter future for evaluation in society. Scriven's revolutionary ideas are followed and challenged by a group of thought leaders in evaluation who do not necessarily shared his views on evaluation, but who have earned his deepest respect and whose evaluation work he admires including Michael Quinn Patton, Ernest House, Daniel Stufflebeam, Robert Stake, Jennifer Greene, Karen Kirkhart, Melvin Mark, Rodney Hopson, and Christina Christie. However, despite his insistence that his colleagues stay focused on the future of evaluation, you will find that many have recounted their adventures, exchanges, and debates with him over the years, as well as pointed out the many contributions that he has made to the development of evaluation and to the improvement of society through his amazing portfolio of evaluation contributions. The Future of Evaluation in Society: A Tribute to Michael Scriven will be of great interest to evaluation scholars, practitioners, and students of evaluation. It will be appropriate for use in a wide range of evaluation courses including Introduction to Evaluation, Evaluation Theory, and Evaluation Practice courses.
Providing an invaluable resource for scholars and researchers, this book investigates positive psychology and relationships theory and research across a range of settings and life stages-intimate, work, educational, senior/retirement, and in the context of diversity. Nearly universally, relationships are a key source of what we all seek in life: happiness, fulfillment, and well-being. The experts who contributed to this novel volume apply the framework of positive psychology to the findings of relationships research across a variety of practical contexts. What actions create and sustain respectful, caring, joyous, stimulating, and loving relationships? How do people rich in friendship, intimacy, and interpersonal skills think and behave? How do they unconsciously cultivate positive relationships? This book brings together authoritative reviews, cutting-edge research, and thoughtful scholarship that serve to answer these questions and document the benefit of positive relationships in a variety of settings and across the human life span. Following a comprehensive introduction, the book addresses positive intimate relationships, positive relationships at work, positive relationships during different stages of life (in youth, in adolescence, and among older adults), and positive relationships intersecting with diversity. The chapters underscore the simple concept that relationships are central to what makes life worth living and are fundamental to well-being across all life domains as they play out at home, in school, at work, in retirement homes, and in the community at large. Explores recent relationships research in the most important life domains and life stages-in romance and at work, during youth and in old age, and in contexts of diversity Brings together contributions from renowned leaders and prolific thinkers in positive relationships Presents science-based information that will be useful to scholars and students as well as general readers
In this book, Ernie House reframes how we think about evaluation by reconsidering three key concepts of values, biases, and practical wisdom. The first part of the book reconstructs core evaluation concepts, with a focus on the origins of our values and biases. The second part explores how we handle values and biases in practice, and the third shows how we learn practical wisdom and use it in evaluations. Value is the central concept in this volume, yet it's a fuzzy concept. In Part I, Ernie clarifies the concept of value by addressing basic questions: What are values? Where do they come from? Why do we have them? Why is our conception so confused? How do we handle values in evaluations? In Part II, another central concept is added, that of biases. Prominent evaluation frameworks have focused on biases, including Campbell and Stanley's (1963) framework for validating causal inferences and Scriven's (1972) conception of objectivity, which is achieved by correcting for biases in general. In addition, research on thought processes has made progress by focusing on cognitive biases (Kahneman, 2011). Even so, through a case example, Ernie demonstrates that the concept of biases is under-appreciated and not well engaged in evaluation practice. The third important concept, featured in Part III, is practical wisdom, which is the knowledge that evaluators acquire through experience. Practical wisdom informs what we do, possibly as much as theory. Experienced evaluators often conduct evaluations in similar ways, regardless of their theory, because practical wisdom determines much of what they do. Ernie provides concrete examples of practical wisdom and how we employ it. Throughout the book, he draws on the empirical research on thinking processes, especially Kahneman's Thinking Fast and Slow (2011). This book will be of interest and relevance to all evaluation scholars and practitioners, as it thoughtfully engages core constructs of the field. The book can also well serve as a supplementary text in multiple evaluation courses, as it offers valuable conceptual and practical perspectives on our craft.
Well-being and Success for University Students: Applying PERMA+4 is grounded in the science of well-being and positive psychology, and teaches students how to strengthen their health and well-being, as well as make their study journey more enjoyable and successful. Higher education has changed dramatically during the last few years, and given the massive growth of mental health challenges among students, universities and faculty have recognized the need to help students to strive, not only survive. Universities have a great potential and responsibility to promote the well-being of their students. This book provides students with information, motivation, and skills to build their own unique well-being and helps colleges to produce more well-being in the university culture. Students and faculty will be introduced to PERMA+4, an evidence-based framework for enhancing well-being and positive functioning, including academic performance. This book emphasizes practical applications of findings from the best available research to have students learn several steps they can take to strengthen their well-being and academic performance. Individual chapters talk about popular topics of positive psychology such as positive emotions, engagement, relationships, meaning, achievement, physical health, mindset, environment, and economic security. Each chapter summarizes the knowledge on specific topics, invites students to assess their well-being in the particular life domain, and encourages them to explore and try activities and evidence-based interventions to learn how to care for their own well-being. This book not only serves as a guide for students but also serves as a useful tool for professors seeking to enhance their courses and programs with well-being promotion, and student wellness centers across the world.
"Applied Psychology" demonstrates the power of applied psychology
to promote human welfare and optimal human functioning as well as
the vast career opportunities that exist for those with a
psychology education. Some of the most eminent psychologists in the
world today examine how psychological science is and can be used to
prevent and ameliorate pressing human problems to promote positive
social change.
Well-being and Success for University Students: Applying PERMA+4 is grounded in the science of well-being and positive psychology, and teaches students how to strengthen their health and well-being, as well as make their study journey more enjoyable and successful. Higher education has changed dramatically during the last few years, and given the massive growth of mental health challenges among students, universities and faculty have recognized the need to help students to strive, not only survive. Universities have a great potential and responsibility to promote the well-being of their students. This book provides students with information, motivation, and skills to build their own unique well-being and helps colleges to produce more well-being in the university culture. Students and faculty will be introduced to PERMA+4, an evidence-based framework for enhancing well-being and positive functioning, including academic performance. This book emphasizes practical applications of findings from the best available research to have students learn several steps they can take to strengthen their well-being and academic performance. Individual chapters talk about popular topics of positive psychology such as positive emotions, engagement, relationships, meaning, achievement, physical health, mindset, environment, and economic security. Each chapter summarizes the knowledge on specific topics, invites students to assess their well-being in the particular life domain, and encourages them to explore and try activities and evidence-based interventions to learn how to care for their own well-being. This book not only serves as a guide for students but also serves as a useful tool for professors seeking to enhance their courses and programs with well-being promotion, and student wellness centers across the world.
This volume addresses a fundamental and highly debated issue in the evaluation field - the use of evaluation information for decision-making. Chapter authors honor the contributions of Professor Marvin C. Alkin to the evaluation use literature and advance our thinking on the topic by exploring a wide range of issues related to the theoretical and practical challenges of using evaluation information to make informed, evidence-based decisions. Readers will come away from this volume with a new and clearer understanding of the theoretical, contextual, methodological, and political dimensions of use and with direction for practice. Chapters are written by leading evaluation scholars, including Ernest House; Stewart Donaldson and Tarek Azzam; Eric Barela; Richard D. Nunneley, Jr., Jean A. King, Kelli Johnson, and Laura Pejsa; Eleanor Chelimsky; Michael Quinn Patton; and Wanda D. Casillas, Rodney K. Hopson and Ricardo L. Gomez. Evaluation Use and Decision-Making in Society: A Tribute to Marvin C. Alkin will be of great interest to evaluation students, scholars and practitioners. This volume has scholarly application for those who desire a state-of-the-art resource for the latest insights and perspectives on one of the most pressing issues that the evaluation field faces today, while also serving as a useful guide for both novice and experienced evaluation practitioners. It is appropriate for use in a variety of evaluation courses including Introduction to Evaluation and Procedural Issues in Evaluation as well as topical seminars such as Evaluation Use and Decision-Making.
Richly illustrates the practice of programme theory driven evaluation with contemporary examples alongside the most recent advances in theory. Contains self-reflective chapters to allow the reader/novice evaluator to engage with and critique their own work. An excellent introduction to the basic concepts and approaches of theory-driven evaluation.
Intended as a resource for psychology educators ranging from teaching assistants to experienced faculty, this book shows readers how to effectively create and manage an online psychology course. Guidelines for preparing courses, facilitating communication, and assigning grades are provided along with activities and assessments geared specifically towards psychology. Pedagogical theories and research are fused with the authors' teaching experiences to help maximize the reader's abilities as an online psychology instructor. The book focuses on psychology education at the undergraduate level but it also includes material appropriate for graduate students and professionals. Readers will find helpful examples from all the major content areas including introductory, social, developmental, biological, abnormal, and positive psychology, and human sexuality. Every chapter is organized around 3 sections. The Purpose part introduces the key concepts, theory, and research. The Implementation section reviews the 'nuts and bolts' of online teaching, and the Troubleshooting section addresses key problems and potential solutions. 'Text boxes' highlight important tips. The website http://www.TeachingPsychologyOnline.com provides additional tips, links to related articles and other resources, and examples of online psychology assignments from across the discipline. The book addresses: launching your online course; enhancing student/instructor communication; modes of multimedia and how to integrate them into your course including lecture videos, podcasting, blogging, wikis, and social networking sites; creating activities for online courses; assessment and grading; and online education trend including doctoral level education. Ideal for instructors teaching ANY psychology course, from introductory to upper-level undergraduate to graduate courses, this text can be used for developing on line courses in applied areas such as counseling, health, and industrial psychology as well as for courses in social, cognitive, and developmental psychology. Instructors of any technical skill level can use this book, including those familiar with Blackboard to those who are just getting started. Whether you are a seasoned pro or new to teaching psychology online, the tips in this book can help improve your instruction, reduce your prep time, and enhance your students' success.
Intended as a resource for psychology educators ranging from teaching assistants to experienced faculty, this book shows readers how to effectively create and manage an online psychology course. Guidelines for preparing courses, facilitating communication, and assigning grades are provided along with activities and assessments geared specifically towards psychology. Pedagogical theories and research are fused with the authors' teaching experiences to help maximize the reader's abilities as an online psychology instructor. The book focuses on psychology education at the undergraduate level but it also includes material appropriate for graduate students and professionals. Readers will find helpful examples from all the major content areas including introductory, social, developmental, biological, abnormal, and positive psychology, and human sexuality. Every chapter is organized around 3 sections. The Purpose part introduces the key concepts, theory, and research. The Implementation section reviews the 'nuts and bolts' of online teaching, and the Troubleshooting section addresses key problems and potential solutions. 'Text boxes' highlight important tips. The website http://www.TeachingPsychologyOnline.com provides additional tips, links to related articles and other resources, and examples of online psychology assignments from across the discipline. The book addresses: launching your online course; enhancing student/instructor communication; modes of multimedia and how to integrate them into your course including lecture videos, podcasting, blogging, wikis, and social networking sites; creating activities for online courses; assessment and grading; and online education trend including doctoral level education. Ideal for instructors teaching ANY psychology course, from introductory to upper-level undergraduate to graduate courses, this text can be used for developing on line courses in applied areas such as counseling, health, and industrial psychology as well as for courses in social, cognitive, and developmental psychology. Instructors of any technical skill level can use this book, including those familiar with Blackboard to those who are just getting started. Whether you are a seasoned pro or new to teaching psychology online, the tips in this book can help improve your instruction, reduce your prep time, and enhance your students' success.
"Applied Psychology" demonstrates the power of applied psychology
to promote human welfare and optimal human functioning as well as
the vast career opportunities that exist for those with a
psychology education. Some of the most eminent psychologists in the
world today examine how psychological science is and can be used to
prevent and ameliorate pressing human problems to promote positive
social change.
Today's evaluators are being challenged to help design and evaluate
social programs intended to prevent and ameliorate complex social
problems in a variety of settings, including schools, communities,
and not-for-profit and for-profit organizations. Drawing upon the
knowledge and experience of world-renowned evaluators, the goal of
this new book is to provide the most up-to-date theorizing about
how to practice evaluation in the new millennium. It features
specific examples of evaluations of social programs and problems,
including the strengths and weaknesses of the most popular and
promising evaluation approaches, to help readers determine when
particular methods are likely to be most effective. As such, it is
the most comprehensive volume available on modern theories of
evaluation practice.
Today's evaluators are being challenged to help design and evaluate
social programs intended to prevent and ameliorate complex social
problems in a variety of settings, including schools, communities,
and not-for-profit and for-profit organizations. Drawing upon the
knowledge and experience of world-renowned evaluators, the goal of
this new book is to provide the most up-to-date theorizing about
how to practice evaluation in the new millennium. It features
specific examples of evaluations of social programs and problems,
including the strengths and weaknesses of the most popular and
promising evaluation approaches, to help readers determine when
particular methods are likely to be most effective. As such, it is
the most comprehensive volume available on modern theories of
evaluation practice.
Richly illustrates the practice of programme theory driven evaluation with contemporary examples alongside the most recent advances in theory. Contains self-reflective chapters to allow the reader/novice evaluator to engage with and critique their own work. An excellent introduction to the basic concepts and approaches of theory-driven evaluation.
Governments and organizations of all shapes and sizes espouse values of equity and social justice. Yet, there are many examples of unfair social arrangements and employment conditions, dysfunctional government practices, and growing income inequality in both developed and developing countries worldwide. The profession and transdiscipline of evaluation is well equipped to address issues of inequality and social injustice, but until recently has been much more focused on primary stakeholder and donor satisfaction (being as useful as possible to funders of interventions and evaluations) and accountability concerns. The authors in this volume challenge the field of evaluation to become more concerned about using evaluation to develop more equitable organizations, governments, and societies. Leading evaluation theorists and practitioners including Michael Scriven, Jennifer Greene, Thomas Schwandt, Emily Gates, Sandra Mathison, Karen Kirkhart, Saville Kushner, Lois-Ellin Datta, Ernest House, Robert Stake, Patricia Rogers, Robert Picciotto and Stewart Donaldson, provide a range of visions for how evaluation can play a much larger role in facilitating social justice across the globe. Evaluation for an Equitable Society will be of great interest to evaluation practitioners, students and scholars. It will be of interest to those teaching and taking introductory evaluation courses, as well as advanced courses focused on improving evaluation theory and practice.
Positive psychological science has experienced extraordinary growth over the past two decades. Research in this area is revealing new strategies and interventions for improving everyday life, health and well-being, work, education, and societies across the globe. Contributions from luminaries in the field provide excellent reviews of the selected topics, summarizing empirical evidence, describing measurement tools, and offering recommendations for improving many aspects of our lives. Comprehensively updated, this second edition not only incorporates the more recent empirical findings; three new chapters on relationships and love, the importance of purpose, and the stimulation of education practice have been added. Focused on peer-reviewed and theory-driven psychological science, this book uniquely establishes a bridge between the intellectual movement for positive psychology and how it works in the real world. This collection of chapters will inspire the reader to creatively find new opportunities to better the human condition, whether these are in our lives, schools, health care settings, or workplaces. This book will be of interest to all psychologists and social scientists, applied researchers, program designers and evaluators, educators, leaders, students, and anyone interested in applying the science of positive psychology to improve everyday life and/or to promote social betterment and justice locally and globally.
Positive psychological science has experienced extraordinary growth over the past two decades. Research in this area is revealing new strategies and interventions for improving everyday life, health and well-being, work, education, and societies across the globe. Contributions from luminaries in the field provide excellent reviews of the selected topics, summarizing empirical evidence, describing measurement tools, and offering recommendations for improving many aspects of our lives. Comprehensively updated, this second edition not only incorporates the more recent empirical findings; three new chapters on relationships and love, the importance of purpose, and the stimulation of education practice have been added. Focused on peer-reviewed and theory-driven psychological science, this book uniquely establishes a bridge between the intellectual movement for positive psychology and how it works in the real world. This collection of chapters will inspire the reader to creatively find new opportunities to better the human condition, whether these are in our lives, schools, health care settings, or workplaces. This book will be of interest to all psychologists and social scientists, applied researchers, program designers and evaluators, educators, leaders, students, and anyone interested in applying the science of positive psychology to improve everyday life and/or to promote social betterment and justice locally and globally.
Governments and organizations of all shapes and sizes espouse values of equity and social justice. Yet, there are many examples of unfair social arrangements and employment conditions, dysfunctional government practices, and growing income inequality in both developed and developing countries worldwide. The profession and transdiscipline of evaluation is well equipped to address issues of inequality and social injustice, but until recently has been much more focused on primary stakeholder and donor satisfaction (being as useful as possible to funders of interventions and evaluations) and accountability concerns. The authors in this volume challenge the field of evaluation to become more concerned about using evaluation to develop more equitable organizations, governments, and societies. Leading evaluation theorists and practitioners including Michael Scriven, Jennifer Greene, Thomas Schwandt, Emily Gates, Sandra Mathison, Karen Kirkhart, Saville Kushner, Lois-Ellin Datta, Ernest House, Robert Stake, Patricia Rogers, Robert Picciotto and Stewart Donaldson, provide a range of visions for how evaluation can play a much larger role in facilitating social justice across the globe. Evaluation for an Equitable Society will be of great interest to evaluation practitioners, students and scholars. It will be of interest to those teaching and taking introductory evaluation courses, as well as advanced courses focused on improving evaluation theory and practice.
This volume addresses a fundamental and highly debated issue in the evaluation field - the use of evaluation information for decision-making. Chapter authors honor the contributions of Professor Marvin C. Alkin to the evaluation use literature and advance our thinking on the topic by exploring a wide range of issues related to the theoretical and practical challenges of using evaluation information to make informed, evidence-based decisions. Readers will come away from this volume with a new and clearer understanding of the theoretical, contextual, methodological, and political dimensions of use and with direction for practice. Chapters are written by leading evaluation scholars, including Ernest House; Stewart Donaldson and Tarek Azzam; Eric Barela; Richard D. Nunneley, Jr., Jean A. King, Kelli Johnson, and Laura Pejsa; Eleanor Chelimsky; Michael Quinn Patton; and Wanda D. Casillas, Rodney K. Hopson and Ricardo L. Gomez. Evaluation Use and Decision-Making in Society: A Tribute to Marvin C. Alkin will be of great interest to evaluation students, scholars and practitioners. This volume has scholarly application for those who desire a state-of-the-art resource for the latest insights and perspectives on one of the most pressing issues that the evaluation field faces today, while also serving as a useful guide for both novice and experienced evaluation practitioners. It is appropriate for use in a variety of evaluation courses including Introduction to Evaluation and Procedural Issues in Evaluation as well as topical seminars such as Evaluation Use and Decision-Making.
In this book, Ernie House reframes how we think about evaluation by reconsidering three key concepts of values, biases, and practical wisdom. The first part of the book reconstructs core evaluation concepts, with a focus on the origins of our values and biases. The second part explores how we handle values and biases in practice, and the third shows how we learn practical wisdom and use it in evaluations. Value is the central concept in this volume, yet it's a fuzzy concept. In Part I, Ernie clarifies the concept of value by addressing basic questions: What are values? Where do they come from? Why do we have them? Why is our conception so confused? How do we handle values in evaluations? In Part II, another central concept is added, that of biases. Prominent evaluation frameworks have focused on biases, including Campbell and Stanley's (1963) framework for validating causal inferences and Scriven's (1972) conception of objectivity, which is achieved by correcting for biases in general. In addition, research on thought processes has made progress by focusing on cognitive biases (Kahneman, 2011). Even so, through a case example, Ernie demonstrates that the concept of biases is under-appreciated and not well engaged in evaluation practice. The third important concept, featured in Part III, is practical wisdom, which is the knowledge that evaluators acquire through experience. Practical wisdom informs what we do, possibly as much as theory. Experienced evaluators often conduct evaluations in similar ways, regardless of their theory, because practical wisdom determines much of what they do. Ernie provides concrete examples of practical wisdom and how we employ it. Throughout the book, he draws on the empirical research on thinking processes, especially Kahneman's Thinking Fast and Slow (2011). This book will be of interest and relevance to all evaluation scholars and practitioners, as it thoughtfully engages core constructs of the field. The book can also well serve as a supplementary text in multiple evaluation courses, as it offers valuable conceptual and practical perspectives on our craft.
The impetus for this volume lives in a rich and vibrant past. It is organized to honor one of the founders and most prolific contributors to the professional and transdiscipline of evaluation -- Professor Michael Scriven, and to illuminate the future of evaluation in society. Professor Scriven often shares stories of his meetings with Albert Einsten and the frame-breaking evaluation revolution he has led against the value free doctrine of the social sciences. Both his wide eyed graduate students and the more grizzled evaluation veterans in his professional development workshops quickly learn that Scriven is well traveled and has exchanged some of the boldest ideas and visions with the most brilliant thinkers of his time. Scriven insisted that the 2011 Stauffer Symposium and this volume be organized in that genre. He urged us to invite the most thoughtful and influential evaluation theorists and practitioners we could find to join him in a conversation about the future of evaluation in society. Scriven challenges us to examine the five great paradigm shifts that have revolutionized the foundations of evaluation, and that he believes will form the basis for a much brighter future for evaluation in society. Scriven's revolutionary ideas are followed and challenged by a group of thought leaders in evaluation who do not necessarily shared his views on evaluation, but who have earned his deepest respect and whose evaluation work he admires including Michael Quinn Patton, Ernest House, Daniel Stufflebeam, Robert Stake, Jennifer Greene, Karen Kirkhart, Melvin Mark, Rodney Hopson, and Christina Christie. However, despite his insistence that his colleagues stay focused on the future of evaluation, you will find that many have recounted their adventures, exchanges, and debates with him over the years, as well as pointed out the many contributions that he has made to the development of evaluation and to the improvement of society through his amazing portfolio of evaluation contributions. The Future of Evaluation in Society: A Tribute to Michael Scriven will be of great interest to evaluation scholars, practitioners, and students of evaluation. It will be appropriate for use in a wide range of evaluation courses including Introduction to Evaluation, Evaluation Theory, and Evaluation Practice courses.
This compelling work brings together leading social psychologists and evaluators to explore the intersection of these two fields and how their theory, practices, and research findings can enhance each other. An ideal professional reference or student text, the book examines how social psychological knowledge can serve as the basis for theory-driven evaluation; facilitate more effective partnerships with stakeholders and policy makers; and help evaluators ask more effective questions about behavior. Also identified are ways in which real-world evaluation findings can identify gaps in social psychological theory and test and improve the validity of social psychological findings; for example, in the areas of cooperation, competition, and intergroup relations. The volume includes a useful glossary of both fields' terms and offers practical suggestions for fostering cross-fertilization in research, graduate training, and employment opportunities. Each tightly edited chapter features an introduction and concluding reflection/discussion questions from the editors.
Addressing one of the most important and contentious issues challenging applied research and evaluation practice today-what constitutes credible and actionable evidence?-this volume offers a balanced and current context in which to analyze the long-debated quantitative-qualitative paradigms. In the Second Edition, the contributors, a veritable "who's who" in evaluation, discuss the diversity and changing nature of credible and actionable evidence; offer authoritative guidance about using credible and actionable evidence; explain how to use it to provide rigorous and influential evaluations; and include lessons from their own applied research and evaluation to suggest ways to address the key issues and challenges. Reflecting the latest developments in the field and covering both experimental and non-experimental methods, the new edition includes revised and updated chapters, summaries of strengths and weaknesses across varied approaches, and contains diverse definitions of evidence. Also included are two new chapters on assessing credibility and synthesizing evidence for policy makers. This is a valuable resource for students and others interested in how to best study and evaluate programs, policies, organizations, and other initiatives designed to improve aspects of the human condition and societal well-being.
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