Faculty Directory
Emily Gates
Assistant Professor
Emily Gates
Ph.D.
Contact
Campion Hall Room 336D
Telephone: 617-552-8584
Email: emily.gates@bc.edu
Education
- Ph.D., University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
- Ed.M., University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
- B.A., New College of Florida
Courses
Evaluation Practice & Methods
Evaluation Theory & Research
Mixed Methods: Issues in Theory and Practice
Theory of Change
Advanced Topics in Evaluation
Research Interests
Research on evaluation; systems thinking and approaches; values and evaluative criteria; equity in evaluation
Expertise
- Equity and Social Justice
- Research Methods, Evaluation & Psychometrics
Department
Profile
Emily F. Gates is an evaluation scholar, practitioner, and educator. Her work focuses on evolving evaluation theory and practice to support the complexity of social change, particularly large-scale system change. Her scholarly contributions include the use of systems thinking and approaches and addressing values, criteria, ethics, and equity in evaluation.
She co-wrote Evaluating and Valuing in Social Research (with Thomas Schwandt, Guilford Press) and co-edited an issue of New Directions for Evaluation featuring international cases of systems- and complexity-informed evaluation. She publishes in evaluation journals and handbooks and sits on the editorial board of Evaluation: The International Journal of Theory, Research, and Practice.
She has over a decade of experience working on mixed-method evaluations primarily in K-12 schooling, higher education, science, technology, engineering, mathematics (STEM) education, and public health. She regularly presents and facilitates workshops on evaluation nationally and internationally.
Gates teaches graduate courses in evaluation theory and practice, mixed methods research, and theory of change. Prior to joining Boston College, she was an evaluation fellow at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and a former teacher.
Select Publications
Books
- Schwandt, T.A. & Gates, E.F. (2021). Evaluating and Valuing in Social Research. New York, NY: Guilford Press.
Peer-reviewed Articles
- Gates, E.F., Page, G., Crespo, J., Nuñez, M.O., & Bohórquez, J. (2022). Ethics of evaluation for socio-ecological transformation: Case-based critical systems analysis of motivation, power, expertise, and legitimacy. Evaluation: International Journal of Theory, Research, and Practice. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/13563890221129640.
- Gates, E. F., Madres, J., Hall, J. N., & Benitez Alvarez, K. (2022). It takes an ecosystem: Socioecological factors influencing equity-oriented evaluation in New England, U.S., 2021. Evaluation and Program Planning, 92, 102068. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.evalprogplan.2022.102068
- Gates, E.F., Walton, M., Vidueira, P., & McNall, M. (2021). Introducing systems and complexity-informed evaluation. In E.F. Gates, M. Walton, & P. Vidueira (Eds.), Systems- and Complexity-informed Evaluation: Insights from Practice. New Directions for Evaluation.
- Gates, E.F., Fils-Aime, F. (2021). System change evaluation: Insights from the Rippel Foundation & Its ReThink Health Initiative. In E.F. Gates, M. Walton, & P. Vidueira (Eds.), Systems- and Complexity-informed Evaluation: Insights from Practice. New Directions for Evaluation.
- Walton, M., Gates, E.F., & Vidueira, P. (2021). Insights and future directions for systems- and complexity-informed evaluation. In E.F. Gates, M. Walton, & P. Vidueira (Eds.), Systems- and Complexity-informed Evaluation: Insights from Practice. New Directions for Evaluation.
- Glover-Kudon, R. M., & Gates, E. F. (2021). The Role of Quitlines in Tobacco Cessation: An Introduction. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 60(3), S99–S102. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2020.12.003
- Kallemeyn, L., Hall, J., & Gates, E. (2019). Exploring the relevance of complexity theory for mixed methods research. Journal of Mixed Methods Research. Published online here.
- Prochaska, J.J., Gates, E., Davis, K., Gutierrez, K., Prutzman, Y., & Rodes, R. (2019). The 2016 Tips From Former Smokers® Campaign: Associations with Quit Intentions and Quit Attempts among Smokers with and without Mental Health Conditions. Nicotine & Tobacco Research, 21(5), p. 576-583.
- Gates, E. F. (2018). Towards valuing with critical systems heuristics. American Journal of Evaluation. 39(2), pp. 201-220.
- Gates, E. F. (2017a). Learning from seasoned evaluators: Implications of systems approaches for evaluation practice. Evaluation. 23(2), pp. 152-171.
- Gates, E. & Dyson, L. (2017b). Implications of the changing conversation about causality for evaluators. American Journal of Evaluation, 38(1), pp. 29-46.
- Reynolds, M., Gates, E., Hummelbrunner, R., Williams, B., & Marra, M. (2016). Towards systemic evaluation. Systems Research & Behavioural Science, 33, pp. 662-673.
- Gates, E. F. (2016) Making sense of the emerging conversation in evaluation about systems thinking and complexity science. Evaluation and Program Planning, 59, pp. 62-73.
Book Chapters
- Gates, E.F. & Muniz, R. (2021, in press). Critical systems heuristics. In Routledge Handbook of Systems Thinking. (Eds.) Cabrera, D., Cabrera, L., and Midgley, G. Routledge. London, UK.
- Gates, E.F. & Schwandt, T.A. (forthcoming, 2020). Valuing in evaluation. In Rog, D. and Bickman, L. (Eds). The Evaluation Handbook: An Evaluator’s Companion. New York, NY: Guilford Press
- Schwandt, T. A. & Gates, E. F. (2016). What can evaluation do? An agenda for evaluation in service of an equitable society. In Donaldson, S. and Picciotto, R. (Eds.) Evaluation for an Equitable Society (pp. 67-81). Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing, Inc.
- Schwandt, T. A. & Gates, E. F. (2018). Case study methodology. In Denzin, N. K. and Lincoln, Y. S. (Eds.) Handbook of Qualitative Research 5th ed., Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.