Inciting Social Change Through Evaluation

McBride, Dominica F.; Casillas, Wanda; LoPiccolo, Jennifer

doi:10.1002/ev.20405

Cited by 10 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“…In the years since these data were collected, the United States, the world, and the field of evaluation have grappled with the ongoing violence of racism and white supremacy (Caldwell & Bledsoe, 2019; Hall, 2018; McBride, Casillas, & LoPiccolo, 2020); the continued rise of the “post-truth” era in which distinctions among evidence, opinion, and lies are blurred (Patton, 2018; Picciotto, 2019; Thomas & Campbell, 2021); and, relatedly, the devastating impact of the COVID-19 pandemic (Ofir & Rugg, 2021; Patton, 2021). Follow-up research is needed to understand how evaluators’ values have been shaped by recent national and global events and how evaluators express those values in their work.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“A Lot of It Really Does Come Down to Values”: An Empirical Study of the Values Advanced by Seasoned Evaluators

Teasdale

McNeilly

Garzón

et al. 2023

American Journal of Evaluation

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This study challenges persistent misrepresentations of evaluation as a value-neutral inquiry process by presenting an empirical study that deepens understanding of evaluators’ values and how they “show up” in evaluation practice. Through semistructured interviews and inductive analysis, we examined the values advanced by a sample of eight experienced evaluators. We surfaced and examined 12 values, which we organized into five clusters, that shaped the constitutive elements of the studies these evaluators conducted and guided how the evaluators positioned their work. Our findings provide empirical evidence about the role of values in evaluation practice and can support evaluators in reflecting on their own values and enacting their professional and ethical responsibilities to identify and articulate their values in the context of evaluation practice.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“A Lot of It Really Does Come Down to Values”: An Empirical Study of the Values Advanced by Seasoned Evaluators

Teasdale

McNeilly

Garzón

et al. 2023

American Journal of Evaluation

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“…Some might consider a shift in the role of researcher to encompass social activism as controversial. However, others argue that researchers should adopt a role as change agents and employ strategies that have been successfully applied by social activists (Hall, 2020; McBride et al, 2020).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…McBride et al (2020) provide another example of research work that is focused on consciously addressing structural racism in order to increase social equity. Historical and contextual analysis reveals that slavery was just the beginning of an oppressive racism in the United States.…”

Section: Social Activism and Change Agents In Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…McBride et al (2020) recommend three strategies to address structural racism borrowed from social activists in order to increase research impact: advocacy, mobilizing, and organizing. Advocacy entails incorporating deliberate strategies into the research design to motivate existing decision-makers to take action toward the common good.…”

Section: Social Activism and Change Agents In Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Transformative Research Methods to Increase Social Impact for Vulnerable Groups and Cultural Minorities

Mertens

2021

International Journal of Qualitative Methods

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A transformative lens applied to research increases impact in the form of providing support for actions that increase social, economic, and environmental justice. Researchers who accept the role of supporting transformative change can enhance their abilities to do so through the use of a transformative lens that informs the design, implementation, and use of their research. The transformative ethical assumption informs methodological choices in that the research design consciously focuses on addressing inequities and providing a platform for transformative change. Engagement with members of marginalized and vulnerable communities is critical and needs to be approached in ways that value the knowledge they bring and addresses power inequities. Methodologies that are commensurate with a transformative approach include the use of mixed methods, viewing the role of the researcher as a social change agent, learning from social activism, and employing specific strategies for culturally responsive inclusion, addressing power differences, and planning for sustainability. Examples of research that increased social impact illustrate how these methodologies have been applied: social activism strategies to address structural racism for youth and for Black men in prison; culturally responsive strategies in research affecting members of sexual minorities in countries in which same-sex behaviors are prohibited by law and for incarcerated women; power inequities in research for people living in high poverty, including children in Nicaragua and Indigenous South Africans; and planning for sustainability with Indigenous youth in Canada and farmers in South Africa. The transformative approach to research asks researchers to critically examine their role in sustaining an oppressive status quo and to address the challenges of supporting increased justice.

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“…Recently, evaluation scholars have argued that evaluation is so White because people of color, especially women, have their labor actively erased (Shanker, 2019;. We agree and contend that the current limited amount of research investigating race and evaluation is problematic given the multiple "calls to action" and calls for attention to race in evaluation (Hall, 2017;Hall, 2018;McBride, Casillas, & LoPiccolo, 2020;Mertens & Hopson, 2006;Reid et al, 2020;Williams, 2019).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 90%

Social Justice as Ontology: The Intersection of Black Evaluators’ Identities, Roles, and Practice

Boyce

Reid

Avent

et al. 2022

American Journal of Evaluation

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Violence, marginalization, oppression, exploitation, erasure, and injustice are cornerstones of the Black experience in the United States. Despite seemingly insurmountable challenges, Black people have worked diligently and competently to earn spaces within the present-day professional arena. While the experiences of Black professionals have been investigated in multiple fields, little is known about Black evaluators. This study aimed to investigate Black evaluators’ experiences in an attempt to understand the intersectionality of their identities, roles, and practice and to ensure voices and contributions of Black evaluators are highlighted. We conducted 26 interviews with Black evaluators across academic, government, nonprofit, philanthropic, and private sectors. We found race and advocate for social justice are central to Black evaluators’ identities, roles, and practice. We developed a thematic framework as a result of our analysis and interpretations of the ways in which Black evaluators’ identities impacted their perceptions of their professional role and practice.

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Inciting Social Change Through Evaluation

Cited by 10 publications

References 13 publications

“A Lot of It Really Does Come Down to Values”: An Empirical Study of the Values Advanced by Seasoned Evaluators

“A Lot of It Really Does Come Down to Values”: An Empirical Study of the Values Advanced by Seasoned Evaluators

Transformative Research Methods to Increase Social Impact for Vulnerable Groups and Cultural Minorities

Social Justice as Ontology: The Intersection of Black Evaluators’ Identities, Roles, and Practice

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