Mindful Evaluation: Cultivating Our Ability to Be Reflexive and Self-Aware

Abstract

Background: Mindfulness, giving our full attention to what we are doing in the present moment, is perhaps best understood as training for the brain. When we are mindful, we are actively engaged with our thoughts, feelings, and sensations.

Purpose: The purpose of this article is to introduce the concept of “mindful evaluation” as a way to cultivate our reflexivity and self-awareness to improve our evaluation practice. Mindful evaluation is an invitation to be more intentional and reflexive about our ontological, epistemological, and methodological assumptions in general as well as for each evaluation we undertake.

Setting: Mindfulness has been gaining popularity both with the general public and a variety of professional disciplines thanks in large part to the growing body of research on its efficacy. As disciplines such as healthcare, economics, and education are incorporating the benefits of mindfulness in their work, we explore how we too might use the principles of mindfulness in evaluation and evaluation practice.

Intervention: This article did not require an intervention.

Research Design: Not applicable

Data Collection and Analysis: Not applicable

Findings: We present simple steps for incorporating the principles of mindfulness to how we approach evaluation.

Keywords: mindfulness; reflective practice; evaluator competence.