Hermeneutics

From EvaluationWiki

The discipline of textual interpretation, now extended to include spoken and visual presentations as well as written ones. Originally referring to Biblical texts, the concept has now become a term for referring to the search for meaning in the tradition of qualitative methodology, including understanding from within or verstehen, by contrast with the search for scientific explanations. For evaluators, the hermeneutic orientation reminds us of the importance of the personal dimension of experience and the need for understanding it well as part of the understanding of the impact of a program or policy.