Multicultural Awareness in Evaluation: Dilemmas and Challenges

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to discuss what is meant by multicultural competence in evaluation and how policies and programmes aiming at multicultural awareness and ‘validity’ can be evaluated. The article discusses three main ways of understanding multiculturalism and how multicultural competence in evaluation can be defined. It also develops evaluation criteria that can be used for assessing the multicultural implications of policies and programmes. The article suggests that a multiculturally competent evaluator should be well informed about minority and majority norms and also familiar with different models of multiculturalism. The multiculturally aware evaluator employs an appreciative approach to traditional cultures that is consistent with human rights and international law. A multiculturally relevant evaluation should stimulate a discussion that facilitates inter-cultural understanding and multicultural awareness. Developing multicultural awareness in evaluation can be seen as a way of developing democratic evaluation.