The authors draw on empirical research on evaluation to consider how process use has been operationalized to date and what this may mean for ongoing research in this area. 5

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This qualitative study aims at conceptualizing research impact generally by studying the specific case of research impact in the field of education. An analysis process akin to grounded theory was applied to the analysis of sections of reports provided by educational researchers. Literature on the subject of research impact was used to substantiate and complete the portrait of educational research impact that emerged from the data. The resulting conceptual framework proposes five interdependent stages, each one characteristic of certain categories of research impact that are typically interrelated in time and in terms of researcher control. It is hoped that this conceptual framework will help program evaluators and researchers tackle the larger task of uncovering and arguing the meaningfulness of alternative ways of measuring the impacts of research in the social sciences and humanities.

This year, the Canadian Journal of Program Evaluation (CJPE) is celebrating its 20th anniversary. To commemorate this milestone, this study provides a content analysis of the full population of articles and research and practice notes from the Journal’s 20-year history. Using a framework that draws from an extensive literature review of similar studies in other fields, the CJPE papers were systematically analyzed and presented through descriptive statistics and graphic representations. In addition to providing an opportunity to reflect upon the history of the Journal, it is anticipated that this study will assist readers, and the Journal’s editor and editorial board, to consider possible future directions as the Journal heads into its next decade of publication.