Abstract
Dialogue is crucial to evaluation. Through dialogue, people are invited to develop new, shared ways of seeing and acting. From a hermeneutic perspective, dialogue implies consensus, based upon shared meanings and oriented towards reaching agreement. Dialogue also implies disagreement, in the form of a conflict between different, rival stories. The role of the evaluator is to enter into dialogue with people participating in practice. It is also to stimulate a dialogue between participants. This requires support for marginalized voices, but also attention to the voices of those who are in power. Only if the evaluator tries to understand the values endorsed in a practice and is prepared to listen to the stories of all parties involved, can evaluation become a practice to which all participants contribute.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 253-263 |
| Number of pages | 11 |
| Journal | Evaluation |
| Volume | 7 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Apr 2001 |
Cite this
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Dialogue in Evaluation : A Hermeneutic Perspective. / Widdershoven, Guy A M.
In: Evaluation, Vol. 7, No. 2, 01.04.2001, p. 253-263.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Academic › peer-review
TY - JOUR
T1 - Dialogue in Evaluation
T2 - A Hermeneutic Perspective
AU - Widdershoven, Guy A M
PY - 2001/4/1
Y1 - 2001/4/1
N2 - Dialogue is crucial to evaluation. Through dialogue, people are invited to develop new, shared ways of seeing and acting. From a hermeneutic perspective, dialogue implies consensus, based upon shared meanings and oriented towards reaching agreement. Dialogue also implies disagreement, in the form of a conflict between different, rival stories. The role of the evaluator is to enter into dialogue with people participating in practice. It is also to stimulate a dialogue between participants. This requires support for marginalized voices, but also attention to the voices of those who are in power. Only if the evaluator tries to understand the values endorsed in a practice and is prepared to listen to the stories of all parties involved, can evaluation become a practice to which all participants contribute.
AB - Dialogue is crucial to evaluation. Through dialogue, people are invited to develop new, shared ways of seeing and acting. From a hermeneutic perspective, dialogue implies consensus, based upon shared meanings and oriented towards reaching agreement. Dialogue also implies disagreement, in the form of a conflict between different, rival stories. The role of the evaluator is to enter into dialogue with people participating in practice. It is also to stimulate a dialogue between participants. This requires support for marginalized voices, but also attention to the voices of those who are in power. Only if the evaluator tries to understand the values endorsed in a practice and is prepared to listen to the stories of all parties involved, can evaluation become a practice to which all participants contribute.
KW - consensus
KW - empowerment
KW - hermeneutic understanding
KW - stories
KW - tradition
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0038096003&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1177/13563890122209676
DO - 10.1177/13563890122209676
M3 - Article
VL - 7
SP - 253
EP - 263
JO - Evaluation
JF - Evaluation
SN - 1356-3890
IS - 2
ER -