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Integrating Arts-Based Inquiry in Evaluation Methodology

Opportunities and Challenges

University of Southampton, United Kingdom

Brendan McCormack

University of Ulster and Royal Hospitals Trust, Belfast, Northern Ireland

This article examines the case for the use of the creative arts in the process of designing, conducting, analyzing, and disseminating evaluations. The authors argue that using the creative arts in the process of evaluation evokes different ways of knowing and understanding the values of a program. The insights gained offer a unique addition to evaluation methodology. This not only broadens the perspective of what counts as evaluation knowledge but also creates opportunities for participants to engage in the process of valuing. The article also explores the challenges this perspective presents demonstrating— for example, how artistic knowing may be represented, claims to validity established, and methodological rigor ensured in integrating creative approaches in evaluation designs. The authors illustrate the case for the use of the arts in the evaluation process with examples from their own professional practice contexts in education, nursing, and health.

Key Words: artistic expression • arts-based inquiry • integration of intuitive and rational holistic evaluation • qualitative evaluation

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