NotesFAQContact Us
Collection
Advanced
Search Tips
ERIC Number: ED213750
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 1981-Oct
Pages: 24
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Do Evaluators Wear Grass Skirts? "Going Native" and Ethnocentrism as Problems in Utilization.
Lincoln, Yvonna S.; Guba, Egon
Anthropological methodology suggests there may be two difficulties with utilizing evaluations over and above the many outlined in several generations of evaluation utilization literature. The first - "going native" - arises when the evaluator has consciously adopted the value and belief system of those in the program he or she is evaluating. The second problem - ethnocentrism - arises when the evaluator has been sufficiently blinded by his or her own value system that he or she fails to see, and thus take into account, divergent values that characterize audiences or recognize how those values reshape objectives or goals. Both types of problems create overt and subtle bias in evaluation reports which in turn leads to skewed judgments, suspect recommendations, loss of evaluator and evaluation credibility, and legitimation of the failure to utilize evaluation results. Solutions to both problems are developed and include, among other strategies, the audit (including means for establishing an audit trail), the reflexive journal, and peer debriefing. (Author/GK)
Publication Type: Speeches/Meeting Papers; Opinion Papers
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A