Unequal Power—Changing Landscapes: Negotiations between Evaluation Stakeholders in Latino Communities

Partnering With Community-Based Organizations to Reduce Intimate Partner Violence

“…Borrowing from previous guidelines, we recommend that explicit attention be paid to women's needs for convenience, comfort, and advocacy; a supportive and nonjudgmental approach; and allowing time and space for participants to develop trust in the researchers before being asked sensitive questions (Clayson, Castaneda, Sanchez, & Brindis, 2002). We accommodated women's schedules and transportation difficulties, meeting anywhere women wished to meet that was safe (e.g., her home, a park, a friend's house) and providing transportation and child care if needed.…”

Exploring Use and Influence in Culturally Responsive Approaches to Evaluation: A Review of the Empirical Literature

“…We also identified evidence of instrumental and conceptual use based on results of the evaluation. For some, instrumental use was noted in formative changes to program mandates (Clayson, Castañeda, Sanchez, & Brindis, 2002), in program decisions that affect the day-to-day operations of the program (Coppens et al, 2006), in the evaluations of similar reform models using critical race theory (Noblit & Jay, 2010), and in the creation of additional program materials for clients (Conner, 2004). As Coppens, Page, and Thou (2006) explain, the instrumental use of their evaluation “demonstrated the importance of evaluation being specifically tailored and that the process can bring about concrete and positive results” (p. 326).…”

“…These findings indicate that the use of culturally responsive approaches may—during the life cycle of the evaluation and beyond its formal conclusion—lead those involved in evaluation to reflect on themselves, on their roles and values, and on the impact of culture on programmatic and evaluative processes and practices. This form of influence can occur in terms of the evaluator (e.g., Anderson-draper, 2006; Stokes, Chaplin, Dessouky, Aklilu, & Hopson, 2011), the stakeholders (Boyce, 2017; Coppens et al, 2006), and/or the clients (Clayson et al, 2002). Clayson, Castañeda, Sanchez, and Brindis (2002) describe how their roles shifted throughout the evaluation of a community-building initiative in a Latino program as they worked as intermediaries between program staff and participants to build common communication strategies and facilitate mutual learning.…”

“…This form of influence can occur in terms of the evaluator (e.g., Anderson-draper, 2006; Stokes, Chaplin, Dessouky, Aklilu, & Hopson, 2011), the stakeholders (Boyce, 2017; Coppens et al, 2006), and/or the clients (Clayson et al, 2002). Clayson, Castañeda, Sanchez, and Brindis (2002) describe how their roles shifted throughout the evaluation of a community-building initiative in a Latino program as they worked as intermediaries between program staff and participants to build common communication strategies and facilitate mutual learning. In another example, Samuels and Ryan (2011) apply a culturally responsive approach as a way to question assumptions about current organizational practices, values, and beliefs, leading to opportunities for knowledge that extends beyond single-loop learning.…”

Critical social theory: Core tenets, inherent issues

“…Through problem-posing dialogue, the stakeholders begin to understand why they must comprehend the effects society has had on the creation of their current situation in order to begin to break free of that hold and articulate new configurations for themselves and their practice. The educator or evaluator becomes facilitator and participant of this dialogic process, sometimes taking on multiple roles, such as Clayson et al (2002) did in a multicultural setting, as they acted as "interpreters, translators, mediators, and storytellers" (p. 35), each role advancing negotiation and democratizing processes in important ways.…”