Credibility, Validity, and Assumptions in Program Evaluation Methodology

Apollo M. Nkwake is a Research Associate Professor for Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) at Tulane University’s Disaster Resilience and Leadership Academy (DRLA). He previously held Senior M&E Advisor positions at World Vision United States, University Research Co, LLC, and JSI Research and Training Institute. He has research, monitoring and evaluation field experience with United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, World Bank, the British Department for International Development (DFID), UNICEF and World Vision programs in Africa, Asia and Latin America.  Apollo is an active member of American Evaluation Association, International Development Evaluation Association, and Canadian Evaluation Society; holds Canadian Evaluation Society’s Credentialed Evaluator Designation and is author of two books and several peer-reviewed journal articles/book chapters on international development and program evaluation themes. Dr. Nkwake earned his PhD in Social Development from University of Cape Town.

• Chapter 1. Constituents of Evaluation Practice.- Chapter 2. Credible Methodology.- Chapter 3. Validity in Framing an Evaluation’s Purpose and Questions.- Chapter 4. Validity in Evaluation Designs and Methods.- Chapter 5. Validity in Measures and Data Collection.- Chapter 6. Validity in Analysis, Interpretation, and Conclusions.- Chapter 7. Validity in Evaluation Utilization.- Chapter 8. Validity in Performance Measurement.- Chapter 9. Evaluation of Methodological Assumptions: A Metaevaluation.- Chapter 10. Conclusion.