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