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Participatory evaluation (II) – translating concepts of reliability and validity in fieldwork
Author(s) -
Crishna B.
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
child: care, health and development
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.832
H-Index - 82
eISSN - 1365-2214
pISSN - 0305-1862
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2214.2006.00658.x
Subject(s) - facilitator , strengths and weaknesses , reliability (semiconductor) , citizen journalism , participatory evaluation , validity , management science , process (computing) , population , psychology , process management , knowledge management , computer science , sociology , social psychology , engineering , social science , psychometrics , power (physics) , clinical psychology , physics , demography , quantum mechanics , world wide web , operating system
Background In developing countries participatory methods are a viable way of evaluating social development projects. It provides a means to look constructively at the strengths and weaknesses in projects, and use the lessons learned to improve planning and implementation. One of the challenges faced, however, is being able to ensure that the study is sound, reliable and valid, and that it is free from bias, thus making the final results trustworthy and of use to a larger population. Methods This article looks at five steps involved in a participatory evaluation process and the ways in which reliability and validity have been considered. Results Participatory studies may be different, but all have similar underlying principles as traditional quantitative and qualitative studies. Examples from fieldwork in Asia have been used to demonstrate how studies can be made credible, so that they have value, influence or the ability to encourage changes in thinking, while evaluating social development projects. At every stage, the role of the external evaluator remains crucial, and has to be that of a facilitator, encouraging participation from everyone. Conclusion Hence project evaluations using such a method must be clear in how to remove bias and ensure reliability and validity in all the stages of the evaluation, from planning to making recommendations. Imaginative and alternative strategies need to be developed to examine reliability and validity in the qualitative evaluation.