For over thirty years now, many evaluators have recommended making explicit the underlying assumptions about how programs are expected to work-the program theory-and then using this theory to guide the evaluation. In this chapter, we provide an overview of program theory evaluation (PTE), based on our search to find what was value-added to evaluations that used this approach. We found fewer clear-cut, full-blown examples in practice than expected, but we found many interesting variations of PTE in practice and much to recommend it. And elements of PTE, whether the evaluators use the terminology or not, are being used in a wide range of areas of concern to evaluators. Based on this review, in this chapter we discuss the practice, promise, and problems of PTE. What Is Program Theory Evaluation?Because this volume is intended to demonstrate the diversity of practice, we have used a broad definition of program theory evaluation. We consider it to have two essential components, one conceptual and one empirical. PTE consists of an explicit theory or model of how the program causes the intended or observed outcomes and an evaluation that is at least partly guided by this model. This definition, though deliberately broad, does excIude some versions of evaluation that have the word theory attached to them. It does not cover all six types of theory-driven evaluation defined by Chen (1990) but only the type he refers to as intervening mechanism evaluation. It does not include evaluations that explicate the theory behind a NEW D~KECTIUNS toit EVALUATION, no. 87, Fall 2000 Q Jossey-Bass 5

This chapter explores how theory-based evaluation can be used to help conduct formative, reflective evaluations in educational settings.

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