2 Is this the dream?

In forms of action inquiry, where detailed action plans are created to instigate changes in practice, there are often clear outcomes set out from the start. In these cases, evaluation often involves assessing how far we have met these outcomes, reflecting backwards on what has happened, what was different than expected and what that means for improving practices. Sometimes evaluations focus on statistical evidence of impact (in education, often on learners’ engagement or achievement), where we are often asked to conclude whether we have found a ‘solution’ to the initially identified ‘problem’.

Just as with the other stages of an appreciative approach, some of these assumptions about what inquiry involves, and therefore what evaluation involves, are challenged when we take an appreciative stance.

The next few sections provide a series of considerations about how evaluation can take on a different feel in an appreciative approach to inquiry, starting with considering evaluation as dream-catching.