Transformative Paradigm

The transformative paradigm is rooted in the recognition that injustice and inequality are pervasive and the belief that research and evaluation are important tools for addressing these societal ills. As articulated by Donna Mertens, a leading transformative research and evaluation scholar, this paradigm maintains that research and evaluation can and should play an explicit role in identifying and alleviating discrimination and marginalization based on factors such as race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, age, and disability. The transformative paradigm draws from and provides an overarching means of categorizing an array of theoretical perspectives focusing on the concerns of distinct populations addressed by feminist, indigenous, postcolonial, queer, disability rights, and critical race scholars. Researchers and evaluators operating within this paradigm examine power dynamics and ...