This document summarizes a presentation on using reflective practice and the DATA model to enhance evaluator's professional activities. The DATA model provides a framework for reflective practice, with the steps being: (D) describe what is happening, (A) analyze why it is happening, (T) theorize based on the analysis, and (A) create an action plan for change. The presenters provide an example of how the DATA model can be applied in practice and discuss how reflective practice is an important competency for evaluators beyond just congratulating oneself after an evaluation.

1. DEMYSTIFYING REFLECTIVE PRACTICE: USING THE DATA
MODEL TO ENHANCE EVALUATORS’ PROFESSIONAL
ACTIVITIES
Tiffany L. Smith, John M. Peters, Gary J. Skolits, & Patrick B. Barlow
Expert Lecture
American Evaluation Association 2013
Friday, October 18th, 1:45-2:30pm
“Reflective practice is more than spending ten minutes at the end of an evaluation congratulating oneself on getting the
damn thing done.”
-- Patton, 2012, p. 401
“Insights and innovation await us only if we are capable of stepping outside the frenzied worlds of data and distraction
that wash over us… time for reflection is an open invitation to discover what awaits us…”
-- Forrester, 2011, pp. 216-217
ABSTRACT
Reflective practice (RP) is one of six essential competencies in evaluation identified and discussed by
Stevhan, King, Ghere, and Minnema (2005). RP refers to thinking critically about one's professional
actions, alone or with other people, and using critical insights to take steps toward improving one's
evaluation practice. Evaluators, at best, have minimal guidance in navigating the competency in RP
that is professed to be a necessary part of evaluation practice. This paper focuses on how RP can
serve as a tool for evaluators, specifically through the use of an integrated RP framework, "DATA,"
developed by Peters (1991; 2009). Specifically, the “D” step of the acronym focuses on (D)escribing
what is or has been happening in practice. The “A” step refers to (A)nalyzing the current state of
practice – why is this happening the way it is? The “T” concentrates on a practice-oriented form of
(T)heorizing, which comes from the analysis and serves as a framework for taking action. Finally, the
last “A” focuses on the specifics of an (A)ction plan to change evaluation practice in light of a practical
theory. We discuss an example of how DATA works in practice.
AUTHOR CONTACT INFORMATION
Tiffany Smith: tsmith92@utk.edu
John Peters: jpeters@utk.edu
Gary Skolits: gskolits@utk.edu
Patrick Barlow: pbarlow1@utk.edu
Institute for Reflective Practice: irp@utk.edu
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