Applied Ethics for Program Evaluation

Applied Ethics for Program Evaluation achieves its goal of providing evaluation practitioners with a theory of ethical decision making that they can realistically apply in their work. . . . It will serve as an excellent supplementary text in introductory or advanced courses in evaluation research. The book will appeal to practicing evaluators because it addresses issues of immediate concern to them, offers realistic guidance for how to respond to those issues, and discusses philosophical matters in a way that is accessible to the nonphilosopher. . . . Applied Ethics for Program Evaluation is an excellent resource for readers to use in conjunction with the Joint Committee Standards, the ERS Standards, and/or the AEA's Guiding Principles for Evaluators. --Michael Morris, Department of Psychology, University of New Haven "This book really does a fine job of providing a theoretical model of ethical decision making for practitioners. I particularly like the way they move from theory to principles to rules." --Katherine Ryan, Instructional Resources, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign From the moment the evaluator begins the consultation process to the time when the evaluator is responding to the last reaction to the evaluation report, ethical choices are being made on matters large and small. How can an evaluator deal with ethical value issues in a way that does not smack of "ethical imperialism" or a knee-jerk prescriptive stance? Applied Ethics for Program Evaluation is aimed at sensitizing evaluators, potential clients, and stakeholders in program evaluation. In a thoughtful examination, the book explores a set of principles that can serve as foundational guidelines for making ethical decisions. Through the use of vignettes, the authors provide the readers with ethical dilemmas and questions to stimulate thinking about the positive and negative consequences of each option. Following an introduction to ethical theories and principles, the authors propose a framework (based on Kitchner's five ethical principles) that can be used in weighing these options. The book concludes by providing valuable suggestions on how evaluators can make informed ethical decisions in their own evaluation practice. Applied Ethics for Program Evaluation is recommended as a supplement in evaluation, research methods, education, management, psychology, sociology, and nursing research courses. This unique text will also appeal to professionals with an evaluation practice.