Tag Archives: cultural context

How to spot a ‘lip service’ approach to culturally responsive evaluation (a checklist for evaluation clients)

Posted on May 24, 2010 by Jane Davidson

So you’ve put out an RFP for an evaluation of a policy, program or initiative intended to serve and effect positive change in a “minority” community. All the proposals look terribly impressive, and they all include “cultural experts” on the evaluation team. How can you distinguish the proposals that show a clear understanding of what it takes to do effective and culturally responsive evaluations from those that merely pay ‘lip service’ to cultural competence? Continue reading →

Posted in Appropriate criteria and standards, Appropriate inference, Appropriate reporting, Community programs, Cultural context, Evaluation team composition, Evaluative questions & answers, The client's role | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

A ‘program logic’ for including ‘outsiders’ in evaluation teams

Posted on March 15, 2010 by Patricia Rogers & Jane Davidson

Suppose you are an evaluator looking to put together a team of colleagues to bid on an evaluation of a program that primarily or exclusively targets members of your own ‘culture’ (ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, life/health/social history, profession or disciplinary roots, etc – yes, everyone is a member of several ‘cultures’).

What are the various reasons for including outsiders (people from outside that culture) on your evaluation team? What is the implicit “problem” or “challenge” you would be responding to with that rationale? In what roles would outsiders be involved? How would that influence your evaluation ‘product’ (the services and the report delivered? Continue reading →

Posted in Community programs, Cultural context, Evaluation team composition, Meta-evaluation, Values-based | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Culture – insiders’ and outsiders’ insights – and genuine evaluation

Posted on February 23, 2010 by Jane Davidson

One great area of interest for me is the study of organizational culture and organizational culture change. I’d like to present a few ideas from that area and see how they apply to the concept of culture more generally. And, how these insights might be able to drive us closer to genuine evaluation. What mix of ‘insiders’ and ‘outsiders’ can provide rich insights into what really matters and help surface important undiscussables? Continue reading →

Posted in Community programs, Cultural context, Government programs, The client's role, Values-based | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Working across the cultural divide in evaluation: roles, challenges and benefits

Posted on February 20, 2010 by Nan Wehipeihana

Working across the cultural divide in evaluation: What are the roles, challenges, and benefits for evaluators working in diverse cultural contexts and settings? Continue reading →

Posted in Aspects of Genuine Evaluation, Cultural context, Values-based | Tagged , , , , , | 8 Comments