This paper reviews empirical research on the use of evaluation from 1986 to 2005 using Cousins
and Leithwood’s 1986 framework for categorizing empirical studies of evaluation use conducted
since that time. The literature review located 41 empirical studies of evaluation use conducted
between 1986 and 2005 that met minimum quality standards. The Cousins and Leithwood
framework allowed a comparison over time. After initially grouping these studies according
to Cousins and Leithwood’s two categories and twelve characteristics, one additional
category and one new characteristic were added to their framework. The new category is
stakeholder involvement, and the new characteristic is evaluator competence (under the
category of evaluation implementation). Findings point to the importance of stakeholder
involvement in facilitating evaluation use and suggest that engagement, interaction, and
communication between evaluation clients and evaluators is critical to the meaningful use of
evaluations.