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Research in such fields as population planning, agriculture, and education has demonstrated the importance of intermediaries to ensure the dissemination of innovative practices However, little attention has been given to how organizations serve this function This article reports four case studies of regional educational service agencies in their role as disseminators of new knowledge Three characteristic approaches to dissemination were identified laissez-faire, entrepreneurial, and authoritarian These approaches wereshapedbyfivefactors in the agency's context state policy initiatives, client concerns, staff interests, history, and leadership External constraints, staff interests, and history created crosspressures that executive leaders responded to by developing missions for their organizations Missions that maximized dissemination services were often associated with some tension with external constituencies

AbstractA conception of evaluation as learning focuses attention on the critical inquiry cycle that incorporates use throughout the evaluation process.

AbstractIf the purpose of evaluation is learning, dialogue can be an effective means for achieving this purpose. This chapter focuses on the crucial role of language in establishing the heuristic stance that fosters dialogic inquiry and thereby enhances the effectiveness of evaluation. The role of the evaluator in facilitating dialogue is explicated through examples from practice.

This article discusses how quantitative and qualitative methods can be combined in a single evaluation study to better understand the phenomenon in question. Three perspectives on combining methods are reviewed: the purist approach where the two methods are seen as mutually exclusive, the situationalist approach that views them as separate but equal, and the pragmatist approach that suggests integration is possible. From the pragmatist position it is argued that either method can be used at the analysis stage to corroborate (provide convergence in findings), elaborate (provide richness and detail), or initiate (offer new interpretations) findings from the other method. Specific examples of how results from each method can inform the other are offered.

"This bestselling text has been relied upon by thousands of graduate students to provide guidance on the different qualitative research genres, building a conceptual framework, and preparing the proposal. Students have appreciated the clarity of the content and writing, the useful examples, tools, and vignettes, and the extensive guide to recommended reading at the end of each chapter. Designing Qualitative Research, Seventh Edition has been updated within the contexts of 2020 during which it was written. Catherine Marshall, Gretchen B. Rossman and new co-author Gerardo L. Blanco have added more on the history and new emerging genres of qualitative inquiry, as well as providing a more sustained and deeper focus on social media and other digital applications in conducting qualitative research. They have added application activities throughout the chapters to provide opportunities for students to try out ideas. The new edition's timely vignettes illustrate the methodological challenges posed by the intellectual, ethical, political, and technological advances affecting society and, hence, those who choose to rely on qualitative research design for inquiry into these challenges. An accompanying Instructor website for the book includes PowerPoint slides and suggestions for class activities"--