ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the authors unpack some of the myths about evaluation and show that there are many different approaches to evaluation. They begin by presenting some background to these approaches and then offer an overview of six types of evaluation. The authors introduce a more recent approach to evaluation, namely the linking of arts-based research and evaluation. They explore the challenges of using evaluation and provide a practical overview of some of the issues that need to be considered. The fact that evaluation is always located in a political context brings with it both a sense of uneasiness and a demand for honesty. Evaluation should be a means by which both those engaged in the formation of policy and the professional groups who are responsible for policy implementation are enabled to meet their accountability requirements to the citizenry and their representatives.
