Donna Mertens, Gallaudet University, donna.mertens@gallaudet.edu
How well do the ideas about quality in contemporary mixed methods theory and practice translate to the challenges of quality in evaluation? How are the conceptualizations of quality similar and different in these two pluralistic domains and diverse communities of practice? What can evaluators learn about quality from mixed methodologists? This presentation will engage these questions primarily from a standpoint of quality as justice (House), but will also consider the quality dimensions of truth and beauty. In particular the mixed methods idea of quality audits as a vehicle for assessing inquiry quality will be engaged and critiqued for its applicability to the contexts and challenges of evaluation.