If there is no navigation bar to the left, please click here to go to the main page. Theory-driven evaluation is a particular type of analytic evaluation specifically, a type of component evaluation, in which you work out exactly how the components are related that is one step more complex than either basic component or the usual dimensional evaluation. Examples include parts of an engine, questions on a test, or courses and other elements of an educational program. TDE looks at the theory according to which the components cooperate to produce the outcomes.
Dimensions are aspects of the evaluand.
It is not illicit to combine the two but in general you should look carefully to see what dimensions of merit you have omitted. When a program fails on one or two dimensions, you will often go to component analysis, maybe including theories of component action, i.e., TDE, to figure out which part of the program failed. Well, it could be overkill, and it could be too expensive. Each time you add another element to the evaluation design, you have to bear in mind cost and validity. When you evaluate something holistically, you make one single judgment about a complex evaluand as a whole.