Types of evaluation, theory of change, programme theory, and theory-based evaluations

In the field of sport and leisure, evaluation research is an underdeveloped area. Poor evaluation quality and methodological weaknesses (e.g., inadequate consideration of explicit theoretical evaluation frameworks in evaluation research design) are matters of increasing concern. Consequently, some primary theoretical frameworks urgently require study, and an understanding of the differences between evaluation approaches is necessary to help practitioners and academics to achieve sound decisions regarding the evaluation approaches most suitable for their research. This chapter therefore has two aims: (1) It brings together four prominent types of evaluation – experimental and quasi-experimental design evaluations, utilisation-focused evaluations, process-tracing evaluations, and theory-orientated evaluations – and reviews their individual strengths and weaknesses. (2) It outlines two popular concepts and principles for programme evaluations often employed in recent years in the field of sport and leisure, namely, theory of change and programme theory. The chapter then concludes by reviewing a case study of long-term sport participation legacy evaluation to detail the merits of theory-orientated evaluations and the reasons for which they are regarded as prominent approaches for sport policy and programme evaluation.