Logic models and content analyses for the explication of evaluation theories: the case of emergent realist evaluation

Abstract

We comment on a set of papers in this journal issue that have examined three evaluation theories by constructing a logic model for each and conducting a set of comparative content analyses. We consider the set of papers as an instance of research on evaluation. For instance, we question the extent to which linear logic models convey the contingent decision making emphasized by some evaluation theories. We also offer specific comments about the papers' treatment of one theory, so-called emergent realist evaluation.