Origins of Alternative Views of Evaluation
The diversity of evaluation approaches has arisen from the varied backgrounds, experiences, and worldviews of their authors, which have resulted in diverse philosophical orientations, and methodological and practical preferences. These different predispositions have led the authors—and their adherents—to propose sometimes widely different methods for conducting evaluations and for collecting and interpreting information or data. The differences in evaluation approaches can be traced directly to their proponents’ rather different views not only of the meaning and nature of evaluation but also of the nature of reality (ontology) and knowledge (epistemology).
To understand the origins of alternative conceptualizations of evaluation, the reader will first need an introduction to different philosophical views of ontology and epistemology.