Introduction to Theory-Driven Program Evaluation, 2nd Edition

2 Developing Program Impact Theory

The purpose of this chapter is to describe the first step in the basic three-step process for conducting program theory-driven evaluation science:

1. developing program impact theory;
2. formulating and prioritizing evaluation questions; and
3. answering evaluation questions.

This chapter emphasizes the importance of conceptual framing in evaluation practice. A special emphasis is placed on clarifying the distinction between conceptual and empirical work in theory-driven program evaluation. Next, a rather detailed discussion about the content of program impact theories is presented. Finally, the process of developing program impact theory is explored in some depth.

Efficacy versus Effectiveness Evaluation

An important ...