Visualizing Evaluation Theory: Current Reflections and Future Projections

Abstract

Background: Among other potential benefits, evaluation theories are intended to serve as a guide to evaluation practice. Scholars have offered alternative visual representations of multiple evaluation theories, their contents and/or interrelationships. Purpose: I offer brief commentary on the evaluation theory visualizations in other articles in this special section of the Journal of Multidisciplinary Evaluation (JMDE). I suggest evaluators should be familiar with multiple representations. I also speculate about a future generation of visual representations which might be interactive, allowing evaluators to select the level of detail most useful to them.

Keywords

• evaluation theory
• visual representations