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Section 6. Participatory Evaluation

What is participatory evaluation?

___Participatory evaluation is an evaluation that involves all the stakeholders in a project - those directly affected by it or by carrying it out - in every phase of evaluating it, and in applying the results of that evaluation to the improvement of the work

What are the advantages of using participatory evaluation?

___It gives you a better perspective on both the initial needs of the project's beneficiaries, and on its ultimate effects

___It can get you information you wouldn't get otherwise

___It tells you what worked and what didn't from the perspective of those most directly involved - beneficiaries and staff

___It can tell you why something does or doesn't work

___It results in a more effective project

___It empowers stakeholders

___It can provide a voice for those who are often not heard

___It teaches skills that can be used in employment and other areas of life

___It bolsters self-confidence and self-esteem in those who may have little of either

___It demonstrates to people ways in which they can take more control of their lives

___It encourages stakeholder ownership of the project

___It can spark creativity in everyone involved

___It encourages working collaboratively

___It fits into a larger participatory effort

What are the disadvantages of using participatory evaluation?

___It takes more time than conventional process

___It takes the establishment of trust among all participants in the process

___You have to make sure that everyone's involved, not just "leaders" of various groups

___You have to train people to understand evaluation and how the participatory process works, as well as teaching them basic research skills

___You have to get buy-in and commitment from participants

___People's lives - illness, child care and relationship problems, getting the crops in, etc. - may cause delays or get in the way of the evaluation

___You may have to be creative about how you get, record, and report information

___Funders and policy makers may not understand or believe in participatory evaluation

When would you use participatory evaluation?

___When you're already committed to a participatory process for your project

___When you have the time, or when results are more important than time

___When you can convince funders that it's a good idea

___When there may be issues in the community or population that outside evaluators (or program providers, for that matter) aren't likely to be aware of

___When you need information that it will be difficult for anyone outside the community or population to get

___When part of the goal of the project is to empower participants and help them develop transferable skills

___When you want to bring the community or population together

Who should be involved in participatory evaluation?

___Participants or beneficiaries

___Project line staff and/or volunteers

___Administrators

___Outside evaluators, if they're involved

___Community officials

___Others whose lives are affected by the project

How do you conduct a participatory evaluation?

___Recruit stakeholders as participant evaluators

___Train evaluators

___Name and frame the issue

___Develop a theory of practice to address it

___Determine the evaluation questions

___Collect information

___Analyze the information

___Use your analysis to celebrate what worked and adjust the rest to improve the project

___Stick with it indefinitely