Dr. Ghislain Arbour unveils new framework for evaluation research at AES Annual Conference

Dr Ghislain Arbour, Senior Lecturer at the Assessment & Evaluation Research Centre (AERC), presented his latest article at the Australian Evaluation Society Annual Conference in Canberra on September 18th.

Arbour, G. (2025). Redefining research on evaluation to unlock its full empirical and conceptual potential. New Directions for Evaluation. https://doi.org/10.1002/ev.70004 (Open Access)

The presentation introduced a new conceptual framework for evaluation-related research, distinguishing between Research on Evaluation (RoE), the scientific inquiry of evaluation phenomena and Research in Evaluation (RiE), the scientific inquiry of the value of social interventions.

The session also featured other leading academics in RoE, including Dr. Ruth Aston (University of Adelaide), co-editor of the recent special issue on RoE in New Directions for Evaluation.

The presentation sparked lively discussion, with participants from both academia and practice expressing strong interest in the article and in further exploring how evaluation-related research can best support the growth of the field.