Un état des lieux théoriques de l’évaluation

Une discipline à la remorque d’une révolution scientifique qui n’en finit pas

Authors

  • Nathalie Dubois École nationale d’administration publique, Montréal, Québec
  • Richard Marceau École nationale d’administration publique, Montréal, Québec

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.3138/cjpe.020.001

Abstract

This article examines the present state of the theoretical bases of program evaluation by applying key analytical criteria proposed by Kuhn and by Lakatos for the study of scientific disciplines. The study identifies the main theoretical and empirical components of the discipline, clarifies their interactions, and discusses their influence on the development of the discipline. The application of the analytical model leads to the acknowledgement that evaluation is currently at the third stage of development of the disciplines, scientific revolution, which assumes an upcoming change in the discipline’s dominant foundations. However, the structuring of knowledge, the relationship between theory and empirical research, and the epistemological schism prevailing in the social sciences contribute to keeping evaluation in a never-ending state of scientific revolution.

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Published

2005-04-21

How to Cite

Dubois, N., & Marceau, R. (2005). Un état des lieux théoriques de l’évaluation: Une discipline à la remorque d’une révolution scientifique qui n’en finit pas. Canadian Journal of Program Evaluation, 20(1), 1–36. https://doi.org/10.3138/cjpe.020.001

Issue

Vol. 20 No. 1 (2005): Spring

Section

Articles

License

Copyright (c) 2005 Nathalie Dubois, Richard Marceau

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