To prove or improve? Examining how paradoxical tensions shape evaluation practices in accreditation contexts.

Our study demonstrates how the high-stakes context of accreditation seeking surfaces tensions that can risk the quality and credibility of evaluation practices. To mitigate these risks, those who commission or execute evaluation work must be able to identify and reconcile these tensions. We propose strategies that may help optimise the quality of evaluation work alongside accreditation-seeking efforts. Critically, our research highlights the limitations of continually positioning evaluation purely as a method versus as a socio-technical practice that is highly vulnerable to contextual influences.