A Hybrid Evaluation Approach: Incorporating Multiple Cultures Into Evaluation Design

Abstract

Culturally responsive evaluation contests the presumed universality of Western-derived evaluation methods and emphasises the importance of adapting evaluation methods to be context-sensitive. It prioritises respect for the values of the communities participating in an evaluation and mutual empowerment. While there are evaluation methods and approaches that reflect Indigenous ways of knowing and experience, and frameworks for identifying the cultural positioning of communities, a challenge for evaluators is how to bring these together and apply them in an evaluation. In today’s globalised societies, there are many political, religious, cultural, social and other influences that determine people’s behaviour. A further challenge for evaluators is how to practise evaluation so that the multiple ways of knowing and being underpinning these influences can be reflected in evaluation design. This article discusses the role of culturally responsive evaluation in redressing colonial and institutional inequities that can be perpetuated by evaluation. It then describes a seven-step hybrid evaluation approach that enables diverse world views to be incorporated into evaluation design, suggesting that the approach could contribute to tackling inequities. Finally, the article discusses how this hybrid approach could assist evaluators in designing bespoke methods that reflect the world views of communities participating in an evaluation.