From distinguished scholar Donna M. Mertens, this book provides a framework for making methodological decisions and conducting research and evaluations that promote social justice. The transformative paradigm has emerged from—and guides—a broad range of social and behavioral science research projects with communities that have been pushed to the margins, such as ethnic, racial, and sexual minority group members and children and adults with disabilities. Mertens shows how to formulate research questions based on community needs, develop researcher–community partnerships grounded in trust and respect, and skillfully apply quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods data collection strategies. Practical aspects of analyzing and reporting results are addressed, and numerous sample studies are presented.
Student- and Instructors-Friendly Features Include:
*Commentary on the sample studies that explains what makes them transformative.
*Explanations of key concepts related to oppression, social justice, and the role of research and evaluation.
*Questions for Thought to stimulate critical self-reflection and discussion.
*Advance chapter organizers and chapter summaries.
Table of Contents:
Introduction
The Intersection of Applied Social Research and Program Evaluation
Paradigms
Rationale for the Transformative Paradigm
Breadth of Transformative Paradigm Applicability
1. Resilience, Resistance, and Complexities That Challenge
In This Chapter
Human Rights Agenda
The Transformative Paradigm as a Metaphysical Umbrella
Need for Transformative Research and Evaluation
Examples of Transformative Research and Evaluation
Examples of Shifting Paradigms
Need for the Transformative Paradigm and Scholarly Literature
Need for the Transformative Paradigm and Public Policy
Complexities That Challenge
Ethical Impetus
Striving for Improved Validity
Summary
2. The Transformative Paradigm: Basic Beliefs and Commensurate Theories
In This Chapter
Paradigms and Basic Belief Systems
The Transformative Paradigm and Its Basic Belief Systems
Theories Commensurate with the Transformative Paradigm
Politics and Power
Summary
3. Self, Partnerships, and Relationships
In This Chapter
Human Relations as Factors Contributing to Research Validity and Rigor
Knowing Yourself
Knowing Yourself in Relation to the Community
Cultural Competence
Strategies for Developing Relationships/Partnerships
Types of Partnerships/Relationships
Challenges in Relationships/Partnerships
Recognizing the Complexity of Culturally Competent Work
Purposes of Partnerships
Examples of Points of Interaction in the Research Process
Building Capacity
Summary
4. Developing the Focus of Research/Evaluation Studies
In This Chapter
Purposes for the Gathering of Information at This Stage of the Inquiry
Sources That Support the Need for Research and Evaluation
Theoretical Frameworks
Making Use of Sources
Summary
5. A Transformative Research and Evaluation Model
In This Chapter
Cyclical Models: Indigenous Peoples
Cyclical Model: PAR
Cyclical Models: Immigrant Communities
Short-Term Research and Evaluation
Types of Transformative Research and Evaluation
Transformative Intervention Approaches
Summary
6. Quantitative, Qualitative, and Mixed Methods
In This Chapter
Mixed- and Multiple-Methods Approaches
Case Studies
Ethnography
Phenomenology
Participatory Action Research
Appreciative Inquiry
Experimental and Quasi-Experimental Designs
Survey Design and Correlational and Causal-Comparative Studies
Gender Analysis: A Mixed-Methods Approach with Potential Transfer to Other
Groups That Experience Discrimination
Rigor in the Process of Research and Evaluation
Summary
7. Participants: Identification, Sampling, Consent, and Reciprocity
In This Chapter
Social Justice: Dimensions of Diversity and Cultural Competence
Rationale for Sampling Strategies
Recruitment of Participants
Protection of Human Participants and Ethical Review Boards
Summary
8. Data-Collection Methods, Instruments, and Strategies
In This Chapter
Reliability and Validity/Dependability and Credibility
Language as a Critical Issue
Planning Data-Collection Strategies
Specific Data-Collection Strategies
Summary
9. Data Analysis and Interpretation
In This Chapter
Transformative Theories as Guides to Data Analysis and Interpretation
Involving the Community in Analysis and In
About the Author :
Donna M. Mertens, PhD, is Professor Emeritus in the Department of Educational Foundations and Research at Gallaudet University. She continues to pursue an active professional life, consulting about evaluations across the globe and, of course, writing about methodological issues and social justice. A past president of the American Evaluation Association (AEA), Dr. Mertens has received AEA’s highest honors for service to the organization and the field, as well as for her contributions to evaluation theory. In 2025, she received the inaugural TEI Social Betterment Award from The Evaluators’ Institute. She is the author of several books and is widely published in major professional journals.
Review :
"This important book assembles the complex array of procedures, perspectives, and priorities associated with transformative research and evaluation. It blends the many voices and illustrations available in the literature to assist the reader in identifying what is possible in this important new paradigm. Significant cross-cultural and international examples of studies that truly warrant the label of 'transformative' are incorporated." - Melvin E. Hall, Department of Educational Psychology, Northern Arizona University "I would definitely recommend this work to colleagues as a resource for professionals and for advanced graduate training. The world is multidimensional, not unidimensional - if evaluators want to stay on the cusp of change, this 'must-read' book should be on their shelves." - Katrina L. Bledsoe, Associate Project Director, Walter R. McDonald & Associates, Washington "This book will challenge students -- including those who have not previously questioned their basic societal beliefs and assumptions--to explore diversity and oppression issues in new ways." - Gary W. Harper, Department of Psychology, DePaul University "Including historically excluded and marginalized people in the processes of generating and using knowledge is transformative not only for research participants, but also for the researchers and evaluators who engage with them. The genius of Mertens's comprehensive approach resides in the way she makes transformative inquiry accessible and inclusive yet intellectually robust and methodologically rigorous. She invites us into the transformative process, changing the ways we both think about and conduct research and evaluation." - Michael Q. Patton, author of Utilization-Focused Evaluation, Fourth Edition "Mertens writes beautifully about conduction research in the service of social justice, using a transformative lens and focusing clearly on each step in the process. This book illustrates why Mertens is so highly regarded for her writing that links research methods theory with practice. I highly recommend this book for researchers and graduate students across the social and human sciences." - John W. Creswell, Department of Educational Psychology, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
