A Constructive Inquiry Approach: Blending Appreciative Inquiry with Traditional Research and Evaluation Methods

(2011) 11 (2) Evaluation Journal of Australasia 14

UWA Faculty of Law Research Paper

11 Pages Posted: 6 Oct 2014

See all articles by Jill Howieson

Jill Howieson

The University of Western Australia Law School

Date Written: 2011

Abstract

Evaluating a pioneering dispute resolution program that blended a child protection safety framework with a legal alternative dispute resolution (ADR) model called for an innovative approach. The evaluation method chosen involved blending an Appreciative Inquiry, which focused on the cultural change aspect of the program, with traditional evaluation research methods that enabled assessment of system effectiveness.

This mixed approach, called a Constructive Inquiry, enabled the stakeholder partners to achieve the best of many worlds. The Constructive Inquiry provided the partners with an appreciative assessment of their pioneering collaborations, an objective measurement of the effectiveness of their program, and a clearer understanding of the experiences and practice of their professional participants. In addition, this approach provided everyone involved with a richer and deeper understanding of the experience of cultural change and the future pathways that they all needed to tread to consolidate that change. In the future, Constructive Inquiry might offer a useful model for the evaluation of projects with similar parameters.

Suggested Citation

Howieson, Jill, A Constructive Inquiry Approach: Blending Appreciative Inquiry with Traditional Research and Evaluation Methods (2011). (2011) 11 (2) Evaluation Journal of Australasia 14, UWA Faculty of Law Research Paper , Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2504313

Jill Howieson (Contact Author)

The University of Western Australia Law School ( email )

M253
35 Stirling Highway
Crawley, Western Australia 6009
Australia

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