2024 Volume 24 Issue 1 Pages 7-22
In recent years, discussions on evidence have been taking place in various fields such as healthcare, education, and international development. These discussions have also generated a multi-layered discourse about evidence in evaluation research and practice. However, it is difficult to consider that there are common understandings or recognitions of shared concepts. In this paper, we review the polysemy of the term “evidence” and discuss its usefulness, particularly its credibility and actionability. First, we introduce the fundamental conflicts in scientific discourse, the way evidence is treated in evaluation studies, and researchers’ and evaluators’ worldviews as they relate to the treatment of evidence. Second, we introduce four aspects of multifaceted elements that determine the actionability of evidence and present five contextual factors that are key to extracting actionable evidence. Finally, we provide two practical examples that ensure actionability and reconsider the role of evaluators in enhancing the validity of evaluations.
