Educational Evaluation with a Social Focus

Abstract

In the Colombian context some sociologists take on the role of evaluators. Back in the 70’s several sociology programs didn’t establish clear connections between the different study subjects, and interests were more instrumental than theoretical. In this context being a sociologist, in a very strict sense, did not offer specific alternatives for getting a job as “a sociologist”. In the search for employment opportunities the field of educational evaluation appeared, by accident, as a solution. It was necessary to learn about this new area. But little by little the relations between evaluation and sociology emerged. Topics like research methodology, ethnographic approaches, the social role of evaluation and evaluation models got together to construct new meanings to support the comprehension of educational facts. Likewise when teaching about evaluation, the social view always stands out. In this sense the advances in the evaluative field and the broadness gained in its treatment could not have been possible without the contribution of sociology. Evaluation and sociology are framed in the so-called “social sciences,” which means that they share, in a great proportion, essential epistemological traits.