Contextual Overlaying Strategy
Evaluative data of a program might not be clear or consistent. The contextual overlaying strategy refers to the use of a method (qualitative or quantitative) to collect contextual information for assisting in interpreting the data or reconciling inconsistent findings provided by the other method (qualitative or quantitative). A popular use of this strategy in theory-driven evaluation is to use qualitative methods to collect contextual information for assisting in the interpretation of quantitative data or reconciling findings. Theory-driven evaluation frequently collects qualitative data on the multiple components of an action model. The qualitative data often provide excellent contextual information for assisting in interpreting the quantitative process or outcome data. For example, in an evaluation of a summer job assistance program for urban youths of poor families, the quantitative data from the attendance records (the intervention protocol component) showed that many of youths failed to show up for work or could not hold on to their jobs in spite of their liking the program. The quantitative findings needed additional contextual