Fieldwork Experience as Cultural Immersion: Two International Students and Their Professor Reflect on a Recent Evaluation Practicum

Abstract

In this Practice Note, two international students (one from Latin America and the other from West Africa), reflect on their first evaluation experience gained through an evaluation practicum course. The paper includes a reflection on four main cultural challenges faced by these international students related to immersion in the culture and program context, interpersonal and communication skills, learning the language of evaluation and telling the story. The course professor, responsible for selecting projects and providing guidance to students throughout the semester, provides further reflections about the students’ perspectives and the challenges of teaching evaluation to international students.

An examination of a values‐engaged, educative evaluation at the University of Puerto Rico at Humacao

“…Examinations of culture and cultural responsiveness within evaluations have gained traction (Boyce, 2017; Boyce et al., 2023; Chouinard & Cousins, 2009; Samuels & Ryan, 2011; Tillman, 2014). Successes and challenges working with Latino/a/e communities have been well‐documented (Arias Orozco, 2022, in, press; De La Rosa et al., 2012; Farquhar et al., 2014; Fischer et al., 2017). Considerations for working with this community have been put forth (Guajardo et al., 2020).…”