Professional identity of evaluators in Israel

Professional identity is a precondition for the establishment of a profession. This examines the professional identity of program evaluators in Israel. The field of evaluation in Israel has developed differently than in most Western countries-from the ground and with minimal governmental interference-and thus it is an interesting case study. In spite of the diversity of the backgrounds of evaluators, there is strong agreement among them on the core of evaluation as an interdisciplinary profession whose aim is mainly as an advisory tool that serves for learning. They also strongly agree that the borders and essence of evaluation are not clear to evaluators, evaluees, and the public. While half of the respondents practicing evaluation do not identify themselves as evaluators, a professional community is important to them. Evaluators in Israel are not well connected to professional activities and developments outside of the country. They do not participate in international conferences and do not publish in scientific journals, yet they are very active in professional activities in Israel. The context of Israeli society is analyzed for a better understanding of these findings.