Evaluation in Sport and Leisure

This book presents a critical assessment of evaluation theory and practice in sport and leisure. It considers established and emerging forms of evaluation; examines typologies, issues, contexts and processes; and asks how evaluation practice can be improved in the future. The book seeks to uncover some of the tensions and dilemmas that are present in choosing and applying evaluation strategies. It considers the relationship between evaluation, context and evaluator to discern how and why a particular strategy is employed. It also highlights how power relationships affect and effect the evaluation process itself as well as those involved in conducting evaluations. The book encourages the reader to challenge accepted methodologies in evaluation, whilst acknowledging the central importance of evaluation and evidence for our understanding of the social impact and value of sport and leisure. This book is important reading for any student, researcher, practitioner or policy maker with an interest in sport, leisure and society, sport and leisure management, policy or development, leisure studies, or the wider relationship between sport, leisure, wellbeing and society.

Andrew Adams is Senior Academic in the Department of Sport and Event Management at Bournemouth University, UK. Kevin Harris is Principal Lecturer in Sports Business Management at Hartpury University, UK.

1. Introduction, 2. Problematising Evaluation in Sport and Leisure: Politics and Programme Evaluations, 3. Politics and Power in Evaluation, 4. The Evaluation of "Whole-of-Systems Approaches" to Sport and Physical Activity, 5. Types of Evaluation, Theory of Change, Programme Theory, and Theory-Orientated Evaluations, 6. Making Sense of Process Evaluation: Exploring the Theory-of-Change Underpinning a Sport-for-Development Intervention to Promote Health in Socially Vulnerable Populations, 7. Theory of Change and Logic Models: Their Use in the Evaluation of Sport and Physical Activity Participation Programmes, 8. Introducing Realist Evaluation within Sport and Leisure: A Realist Evaluation Case Study of the Youth Sport Trust Young Ambassador Programme, 9. A Social Return on Investment Case Study of a Sport and Leisure Programme, 10. Collaborative Evaluation in Sport and Leisure, 11. Understanding Approaches to Evaluation within the Community Sport Social Enterprise, 12. The Evolution and Elevation of Evaluation in Sport England: What Does Uniting the Movement Signal for the Future?, 13. Knowledge Exchange in Evaluation: Moving the Field Forward, 14. Conclusion: Towards Evaluation and Learning in a Brave New World