Utilization-Focused Evaluation

Michael Quinn Patton is author of more than a dozen books on evaluation including Qualitative Research & Evaluation Methods, 4th ed (2015), Blue Marble Evaluation (2020), Principles-Focused Evaluation (2018), Facilitating Evaluation (2018) and Developmental Evaluation (2011). Based in Minnesota, he was on the faculty of the University of Minnesota for 18 years and is a former president of the American Evaluation Association (AEA). Michael is a recipient of the Alva and Gunnar Myrdal Evaluation Practice Award, the Paul F. Lazarsfeld Evaluation Theory Award, and the Research on Evaluation Award, all from AEA He has also received the Lester F. Ward Distinguished Contribution to Applied and Clinical Sociology Award from the Association for Applied and Clinical Sociology. In 2021 he received the first Transformative Evaluator Award from EvalYouth. He is an active speaker, trainer, and workshop presenter who has conducted applied research and evaluation on a broad range of issues and has worked with organizations and programs at the international, national, state, provincial, and local levels. Michael has three children—a musician, an engineer, and an evaluator—and four grandchildren. When not evaluating, he enjoys exploring the woods and rivers of Minnesota, where he lives.

PART ONE: TOWARD MORE USEFUL EVALUATIONS
The Emergence of Program Evaluation and the Utilization Crisis
Utilization in Practice
An Empirical Perspective
The Personal Factor
Fostering Intended Use For Intended Users
PART TWO: DIFFICULT CHOICES AND MULTIPLE OPTIONS: DECIDING WHAT TO EVALUATE
Focusing Evaluation Questions
Beyond the Goals Clarification Game
Implementation Evaluation
What Happened in the Program?
The Program′s Theory of Action
Evaluating Causal Linkages
PART THREE: APPROPRIATE METHODS
The Methodology Dragon
The Paradigms Debate in Perspective
Evaluations Worth Using
Utilization-Focused Methods Decisions
The Meanings of Evaluation Data
Analysis, Interpretation and Reporting
PART FOUR: UTILIZATION: THEORY AND PRACTICE
Situational Responsiveness and the Power of Evaluation
Utilization-Focused Evaluation