Evaluative thinking (ET) is an increasingly important topic in the field of evaluation, particularly among people involved in evaluation capacity building (ECB). Yet it is a construct in need of clarification, especially if it is to be meaningfully discussed, promoted, and researched. To that end, we propose that ET is essentially critical thinking applied to contexts of evaluation. We argue that ECB, and the field of evaluation more generally, would benefit from an explicit and transparent appropriation of well-established concepts and teaching strategies derived from the long history of work on critical thinking. In this article, based on previous work in the fields of education, cognitive science, and critical thinking, as well as on our experience as ECB practitioners, we propose several guiding principles and specific strategies for teaching ET that draw directly from research on the teaching of critical thinking.In the field of evaluation, especially among people involved in evaluation capacity building (ECB), evaluative thinking (ET) is increasingly recognized as a key component of evaluation capacity and high-quality evaluation practice (despite that shared recognition, definitions of ET are varied and sometimes ambiguous. In the absence of a clear and shared definition, the phrase risks becoming an empty buzz word-Patton warns that ''As attention to the importance of evaluation culture and

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In complex cases, CYP450 DNA testing can guide pharmacotherapy by exposing innate hepatic metabolic deficiencies as a result of DNA polymorphism. In such cases, clinicians can favor treatments that target functional isoenzyme pathways rather than deficient or null pathways thus leading to decreased risk of ADRs and improved patient response.

International community development involves complex, dynamic processes. Evaluation capacity building (ECB) designed to promote evaluative thinking among community development practitioners can foster more complexity‐aware monitoring and evaluation for learning and adaptive management. Instead of simply executing technical processes based on predetermined plans, development practitioners can be “knowledge workers” who use evaluative thinking to promote collaboration, learning, and adaptation. In this chapter, framed in the context of the United States Agency for International Development's ongoing efforts to become a more effective learning organization, we describe one such ECB initiative implemented by Catholic Relief Services in Zambia, Ethiopia, and Malawi. The chapter provides reflections on a practical application and empirical grounding of theoretical concepts related to complexity‐aware and learning‐focused evaluation.

In this paper, we introduce Relational Systems Evaluation (RSE), the focal topic of this volume. RSE is a framework for program planning and evaluation that is theoretically grounded, empirically tested and focused on building evaluation capacity. Theoretically, RSE is rooted in an evolutionary approach to program development and evaluation informed by systems thinking. The application of RSE involves a collaborative partnership approach pairing evaluators or researchers with program practitioners, the use of collaborative modeling and planning tools, and an emphasis on nurturing an Evaluative Thinking mindset. The goal of RSE is to produce more thoughtful and useful evaluations and, ultimately, better programs.