Advantages of Participatory Evaluation
The participatory approach to evaluation offers many benefits to program staff and stakeholders, including the following:
-
It promotes shared expectations. When an evaluation plan is developed collaboratively, there is less potential for misunderstanding and an increased likelihood that all involved will be "on the same page."
-
Personal investment improves quality. Program staff and stakeholders tend to have a greater personal investment in the evaluation than evaluation professionals. Their ongoing participation helps ensure that the program will be assessed carefully and treated fairly.
|
One of the negative connotations often associated with evaluation is that it is something done to people. One is evaluated. Participatory evaluation, in contrast, is a process controlled by the people in the program or community. It is something they undertake as a formal, reflective process for their own development and empowerment. -- M. Patton. (1990). Qualitative evaluation and research methods (2nd Ed.), Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications. p. 129. |
-
It increases the chance that results will be used. When staff are integrally involved in the evaluation process, they are more likely to understand, accept, and apply the findings of the evaluation.
-
It is more flexible and less costly than traditional models. With more people involved, the balance of responsibilities can shift as needed throughout the duration of the project. Furthermore, with program staff on board to help, fewer tasks fall to the more costly evaluator.
Return to Day 1: Introduction to Evaluation. |
 |
||||||||||||
|
TOC |
|
||||||||||
| |
||||||||||||
