Meaning

Meaning and action frame the interpretive approach to educational and social research and evaluation, within which meaning is understood to be constructed during the telling of narratives. Some basic elements of an interpretive framework for meaning in evaluation include the understanding that (a) the meaning of an action or event can be separated from that action or event itself; (b) the contextual elements of the field of meaning are crucial to understanding the meaning expressed by stakeholders; and (c) although meaning is an individual creation, it can be shared by a group or community. Therefore, an evaluator's approach to data gathering helps to frame the meaning stakeholders are able to articulate.