Page 134 - DLIS406_ACADEMIC_LIBRARY_SYSTEM

Unit 12: Academic Library

Approaches Notes
Evaluation approaches are conceptually distinct ways of thinking about, designing and conducting
evaluation efforts. Many of the evaluation approaches in use today make truly unique contributions
to solving important problems, while others refine existing approaches in some way.

Classification of Approaches

Two classifications of evaluation approaches by House and Stufflebeam and Webster can be
combined into a manageable number of approaches in terms of their unique and important
underlying principles.
House considers all major evaluation approaches to be based on a common ideology, liberal
democracy. Important principles of this ideology include freedom of choice, the uniqueness of
the individual, and empirical inquiry grounded inobjectivity. He also contends they are all
based on subjectivist ethics, in which ethical conduct is based on the subjective or intuitive
experience of an individual or group. One form of subjectivist ethics is utilitarian, in which
“the good” is determined by what maximizes some single, explicit interpretation of happiness
for society as a whole. Another form of subjectivist ethics is intuitionist / pluralist, in which
no single interpretation of “the good” is assumed and these interpretations need not be explicitly
stated nor justified.
These ethical positions have corresponding epistemologies philosophies of obtaining knowledge.
The objectivist epistemology is associated with the utilitarian ethic. In general, it is used to
acquire knowledge capable of external verification (intersubjective agreement) through publicly
inspectable methods and data. The subjectivist epistemology is associated with the intuitionist/
pluralist ethic. It is used to acquire new knowledge based on existing personal knowledge and
experiences that are (explicit) or are not (tacit) available for public inspection.
House further divides each epistemological approach by two main political perspectives. Approaches
can take an eliteperspective, focusing on the interests of managers and professionals. They
also can take a mass perspective, focusing on consumers and participatory approaches.
Stufflebeam and Webster place approaches into one of three groups according to their orientation
toward the role of values, an ethical consideration. The political orientation promotes a positive
or negative view of an object regardless of what its value actually and might be. They call this
pseudo-evaluation. The questions orientation includes approaches that might or might not
provide answers specifically related to the value of an object. They call this quasi-evaluation.
The values orientation includes approaches primarily intended to determine the value of some
object. They call this true evaluation.
When the above concepts are considered simultaneously, fifteen evaluation approaches can be
identified in terms of epistemology, major perspective (from House), and orientation. Two
pseudo-evaluation approaches politically controlled and public relations studies are represented.
They are based on an objectivist epistemology from an elite perspective. Six quasi-evaluation
approaches use an objectivist epistemology. Five of them—experimental research, management
information systems, testing programs, objectives-based studies, and content analysis—take
an elite perspective. Accountability takes a mass perspective. Seven true evaluation approaches
are included. Two approaches, decision-oriented and policy studies are based on an objectivist
epistemology from an elite perspective. Consumer-oriented studies are based on an objectivist
epistemology from a mass perspective. Two approaches—accreditation/certification and connoisseur
studies—are based on a subjectivist epistemology from an elite perspective. Finally, adversary
and client-centered studies are based on a subjectivist epistemology from a mass perspective.

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