From Practitioner to Scholar: A Collaborative Autoethnography of PhD Students' Research on Evaluation Journeys

ABSTRACT There has been limited attention to the role of research on evaluation (RoE) in PhD‐level evaluator education. Previous research suggests that evaluator education doctoral programs have multiple purposes to prepare practitioners and researchers, thus creating an unnamed tension where evaluation practice is the focus and RoE has not been integrated. Therefore, a gap exists in understanding how students learn RoE within existing programs. This collaborative autoethnography seeks to address this need from the perspective of PhD students actively engaged in learning RoE. This study examines the experiences of six mid‐career evaluators in PhD programs across five US universities. An ecological systems theory conceptual framework was used to understand micro (individual), meso (program), and macro (field) factors that influenced PhD student experiences. Findings revealed that authors’ practitioner background and positionality, faculty support and institutional culture, and connections within the evaluation field significantly shaped their knowledge of RoE and scholarly development. Constraints in formal RoE coursework, applied opportunities, and funding created barriers to achieving desired RoE‐related academic goals. Additionally, the study offers opportunities to enhance RoE preparation across individual, programmatic, and broader systems levels, including developing reflective practice skills, expanding cross‐institutional collaborations, and strengthening the relationship between evaluation practice and research. Findings and implications contribute to evaluation programs, faculty, and the broader evaluation community to improve RoE learning across the educational ecosystem.