Participatory Evaluation

Participatory evaluation is an overarching term for any evaluation approach that involves program staff or participants actively in decision making and other activities related to the planning and implementation of evaluation studies. The reasons for participant involvement, which vary among different types, include the desire to effect change in individuals, in programs or organizations, and, in some cases, in society at large, as well as building the capacity of a group or institution to conduct additional evaluations. The origins of participatory evaluation are multiple, reflecting roots in disparate traditions and disciplines literally from around the world, each pointing to the importance of participants interactively helping to study their own programs. Examples range from staff in an American social service agency working collaboratively with an evaluator ...