THE CONCEPT OF ILLUMINATIVE EVALUATION IS DEFINED AND ITS METHODOLOGICAL STRATEGIES ARE DESCRIBED. THESE STRATEGIES INCLUDE OBSERVATION, PARTICIPANT INTERVIEWS, QUESTIONNAIRES, AND ANALYSIS OF DOCUMENTS AND BACKGROUND STRATEGIES TO ILLUMINATE PROBLEMS, ISSUES, AND SIGNIFICANT PROGRAM FEATURES. THE PAPER CONCLUDES WITH A DISCUSSION OF THE PROBLEMS AND POTENTIALITIES OF THE NEW APPROACH SUCH AS ITS RANGE OF APPLICABILITY, THE VALIDITY AND GENERALIZABILITY OF EVIDENCE, AND THE PROFESSIONAL SKILLS AND OBLIGATIONS OF THE RESEARCH WORKER. IN ADDITION, THE WAYS IN WHICH THE ILLUMINATIVE APPROACH CAN MEET THE NEED FOR THEORETICAL ADVANCE IN THE LEARNING MILIEU AND CLARIFY AND INTERPRET THE PROGRAM FOR DECISION MAKERS ARE EXAMINED. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED)