‘Tremendous pressure’: exploring the pressures faced by widening participation evaluators

Abstract

This paper explores the tensions, disjunctures and politics that evaluators experience when tasked with evaluating widening participation programmes in English Higher Education Institutions (HEI). While much research has been conducted concerning the importance of evaluation in widening participation, comparatively little has been written about how the socio-organisational position that evaluators are situated in may impact the quality and `rigour´ of the evaluation exercises themselves. Consequently, this paper is intended to act as the starting point for discussions within the field of widening participation that critically reflect on the optimal circumstances in which we can evaluate widening participation initiatives. Drawing from the analysis of semi-structured interviews with 21 practitioners at four HEIs, four pressures are identified that act upon evaluators, namely: reputational concerns; personal involvement; accountability for donors, alumni and other interested parties; and position within an organisation. These pressures are outlined and explored in relation to how they shape the evaluation process. The implications of this research concern institutional change at both the HEI and the regulatory body level, movement towards methodological pluralism and an easing of the pressures that confront widening participation practitioners when tasked with evaluation.