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What Does it Take for an Outsider to Evaluate in Cross Cultural Contexts: What About the Cultural Nuances and Subtleties in Language Dialects
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| Presenter(s):
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| Tererai Trent, Tinogona Consulting, tererai.trent@gmail.com
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| Abstract:
Debate continues on the value of evaluations performed by outsider evaluators in cross cultural settings. One view maintains credible evaluations in such settings can be achieved provided the evaluators are culturally competent and local translators are used. Others strongly believe the nuances in local cultures and often the subtleties in the language dialects are too often lost in translation to the outsider evaluator due to language barriers. Through a review of the literature and the observation of a renowned artist in cross cultural settings the focus of the question: 'who has the right to evaluate', shifts to: 'what does it take for an outsider to evaluate in a cross cultural contexts'? To gain insight into the question of credibility and validity of whether an outsider can possess the cultural competence required in a cross cultural context, my observations are based on Betty LaDuke, a renowned artist, who has gained international reputation for her murals, paintings, and sketches.
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Whose Values, Whose Culture are Used to Evaluate the Afghanistan Teachers Professional Development Program? Considering Complexities of Culturally Competent Evaluation in the Development Context
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| Presenter(s):
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| Mohammad Javad, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, mjahmadi@gmail.com
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| Abstract:
Culture and values permeate all aspects of evaluations, so culturally competent evaluation requires delicate attention to the complexities of social, political, and cultural relations between evaluators and stakeholders and among stakeholders themselves. The development context, where stakeholders have diverse value systems with different power status, presents extra challenges. Drawing on the evaluation of Afghanistan Teachers Professional Development Program, I discuss how values of donors (such as USAID and World Bank) differ from the values of local stakeholders (such as parents, teachers, and education officers) on teachers' needs, setting program priorities, definition of good teaching as evaluation criteria, and the merit and worth of the program. Since common evaluation concepts, terms, principles, and professional standards incorporate elements of western culture, how can evaluation be conducted in non-western developing countries while honoring and promoting interests of least advantaged groups? This paper highlights conflicts in both values and practices and proposes potential approaches.
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