What type of evaluator are you?

Dear all, 

739 participants participated in the quiz (as of 10 April 2023), and here are the results: 44% came out as mediators, 33% as pragmatists, 12% scientists and 11% activists. Copied below are the descriptions of the corresponding profiles for your reference. 

Of course this result is in no way statistically significant and we are aware that in the quiz, as some of you commented below, responses were not straightforward or that more than one option could apply.

The aim was just to keep us reflecting on the various roles evaluators can have and how this profession is evolving.

We hope you enjoyed!

The quiz remains open for those who still want to give it a go! 

The EvalForward Team 

Majority of A: Activist

The most important thing for you is to initiate political change, by being the voice of those who are usually left behind: the actors in the field, and above all those who have been marginalized or forgotten by the policies being implemented. Understanding power relations is essential for you. You catalyze people's efforts to build their evaluation, in mutual respect between cultures, beliefs, and points of view. It is the process, as much as the outcome, that will empower them.

Majority of B: Scientist

For you, evaluation’s main value is the contribution to objective knowledge of public action and of mechanisms that govern the behavior of actors. Evaluation will tell if the action has achieved its goals, what are the lessons and what can be upscaled or replicated. The more rigorous and unbiased the method, the more likely it is that the evaluation will be useful and will contribute to change. In terms of methods, you favour quantitative methods and put a lot of effort into the design stage.

Majority of C: Pragmatist

An evaluation must first be useful to its commissioners, and you will do whatever it takes for that to be the case. Depending on the circumstances, you will use quantitative or qualitative methods, participatory or not, very elaborate, or very rudimentary. It depends in the context. But no matter what, you will ensure that the evaluation remains useful, even if you have to change it along the way: that is where your expertise and added value lies.

Majority of D: Mediator

For you, evaluation means first of all helping stakeholders to collectively construct a judgment, and all the rest of evaluation practice flows from that. It is therefore necessary to organize a collective process through which everyone will make their own values explicit: this is an intrinsic contribution of evaluation. In terms of methods, you favor qualitative or mixed methods, shaped in response to the questions asked and aimed at considering and understanding all points of view.

Just powdered on this quiz again, so interesting! it makes you to realize who you are and where you function.

Well, it depends on where you find yourself, need and solution at hand.

It made me to gathered myself.

Thanks.

Thank you for the quiz. It seems I am pragmatic.  

It was also fun to read other colleagues findings 

Thank you for this quizz. It may not be the best questionnaire as Ada pointed out. However, answering this quizz believe, is an opportunity to reflect on who we are or think we are, as Evaluators. I came out as a mediator and I am now wondering what this means😊

I’d like to meet the activists … what do you guys do that is different from what I’m doing ? 🤔🤔

Thanks Renata! Good one ! 

Dear all,

Thanks for taking the quiz and for your feedback!

Among over 500 responses received so far, most evaluators emerge as Mediators (44%), followed by Pragmatists (32%). Activists and scientist both represent 12% of respondents.

With this quiz we wanted to spark reflection on different paradigms evaluators can have, and how these may influence the choice of methods and approaches. Of course, evaluators may apply different paradigms depending on the situation and one paradigm does not exclude others.

The quiz is still open and we look forward to continue the conversation.

The EvalForward Team

I was judged as pragmatist, which I beleive an entry point for a sound evaluation for all evaluators. Yet the highest percentage/contribution is for the "mediation" aspect, which is also logical, since the evaluator should not only be impartial, but also trying to bring together all stakeholders for the sake of a better evaluation and future sound decsion making and advocacy for sustainable development.

Very correct. I am judged to be a mediator.

Hiya and thanks. I am judged to be an activist, although I've never believed in unity: it's not an illusion worth having. Only division brings progress.....

Thanks for the valuable quiz. Based on my answers, it identified exactly the way I am in my professional career, playing a role of mediator to bring about shared consensus among different stakeholders or contributing partners. Thanks again for this refreshing quiz!!!

Interesting quiz!

Many thanks for all your excellent remarks and comments in this forum!

Very smart quiz that willl help us keep in mind the other types of evaluators with which we may collaborate! Thank you!

A refreshing quiz, it looks like I am one of the activist kind of evaluators :-) 

Excellent question in this regard in the complex field of Evaluator, in this sense I can personally come to feel as the complement of a necessary tool that comes to assimilate and analyze a complex task of Diagnosis, a task of Characterization, Socialization, Training and Analysis of the Systematization of Information that forces to perform the role of Mediator in the different pillars offered by the Evaluation Methods, Evaluation Processes and finally the Monitoring and evaluation as such. Now this task, feeds and strengthens the epicenter of a discussion forum that achieves with the different concepts and knowledge to consolidate a common goal in the professional discussion.

Thank you for the good quiz. It has rated me well. Allow me to add a point to make it even better. Some questions cannot only have one answer and therefore there is need to put check boxes for multiple answers as opposed to the circle.

Questions like the ones below need multiple answers

...the right type of Eval...

Which indicator should I use....

If the evidence is not useful, it is because....

In order to contribute to better and useful Evaluation.....

We learn something about ourselves, everyday! Thank you for this fun survey. I think we walk into evaluation spaces wearing the scarf and that we need for the task, but there is always that part of self-awareness that defines your core values that does not shake off, no matter the TORs! Have a great week

Nice quiz , sometimes more than one answer is right. I think it depends on the situation and many other things to define the role of the evaluator. I believe that the evaluator doesn't have only one profile.

What a fun quiz! Good to have a balance of different evaluation styles. I'm a mediator!

Interesting but needs some revision. I was forced to mark the least worst answer according to my view as in some cases I did not find the right answer.  

The overall conclusion can also be improved.

Thanks for the efforts