Demystifying reflective practice: Using the DATA model to enhance evaluators’ professional activities

Reflective practice (RP), one of six essential competency domains in evaluation identified by Stevahn, King, Ghere, and Minnema (2005), refers to thinking critically about one's evaluation practice, alone or with other people, and using critical insights to improve one's practice. Currently, evaluators have minimal guidance in navigating this essential professional competency, professed to be a necessary part of their practice. This article focuses on how RP can serve as a tool for evaluators through the use of the “DATA” integrated RP framework, developed by Peters, 1991, Peters, 2009. DATA is an acronym with each letter standing for a different step in the process of reflective practice. The “D” step of the acronym focuses on (D)escribing what is or has been happening in practice. The “A” step refers to (A)nalyzing the current state of practice—why is this happening the way it is? The “T” concentrates on a practice-oriented form of (T)heorizing, which comes from analysis and serves as a basis for the resulting (A)ct. The last “A” focuses on the specifics of an action plan to change one's evaluation practice in light of the practical theory developed through theorizing. This paper describes the DATA model and introduces the application of the framework in a practice context.