Formative Evaluation
Formative evaluation is evaluation conducted to improve a program, policy or product while it is still being developed or refined. The term was coined by Michael Scriven in his 1967 essay 'The Methodology of Evaluation', alongside its counterpart summative evaluation. Where summative evaluation renders a final verdict on a completed intervention, formative evaluation feeds timely information back to designers and implementers so they can fix problems, adjust components and strengthen the intervention before it is finalised or scaled.
Read the full method
Sign in with a free account to read this section.
Method map
The neighbourhood of related methods — select a node to explore.
Sources
- Scriven, M. (1967). The methodology of evaluation. In R. W. Tyler, R. M. Gagné, & M. Scriven (Eds.), Perspectives of Curriculum Evaluation (pp. 39–83). Chicago: Rand McNally. ISBN: 9780528616600
How to cite this page
ScholarGate. (2026, June 22). Formative Evaluation for Program Improvement. ScholarGate. https://scholargate.app/en/public-policy/formative-evaluation
Which method?
Set this method beside its closest kin and read them side by side — the library lays the books on the table; the choice is yours.
- Developmental EvaluationPublic Policy↔ compare
- Process EvaluationPublic Policy↔ compare
- Summative EvaluationPublic Policy↔ compare
- Utilization-Focused EvaluationPublic Policy↔ compare