The authors describe evaluation as a way of understanding and developing language programs: the thematic and background section sets out the decision-making, quality management, and learning functions of evaluation. Case studies illustrate the diversity of evaluation contexts, functions and approaches, documenting the ways in which evaluation processes and outcomes inform and facilitate program development, and contribute to explaining how language and teacher education programs constitute opportunities for learning. The ways in which evaluation practice can be researched and developed to maximize policy, institutional and program effectiveness is included, and a comprehensive set of resources for those commissioning, undertaking or researching language program evaluations concludes the text.

RICHARD KIELY is a Lecturer in the Graduate School of Education at the University of Bristol, UK and eads the MEd TESOL program. He has carried out language program evaluations in a range of contexts, and supervises research in this field. Other research interests include language teacher cognition and teacher development, intercultural aspects of TESOL, and qualitative research methods in TESOL.

PAULINE REA-DICKINS is Professor of Applied Linguistics in Education in the Graduate School of Education, University of Bristol, UK, where she is Deputy Director of Research, and leads the doctoral programme in Applied Linguistics/TESOL. She researches and writes in the areas of language program evaluation, language testing and classroom-based language assessment