1. Objectifs

Intentions :
«Our analysis aims to enrich evaluative research on this theme, specifically in analyzing the link between participation and the effects and lessons attributable to the evaluative process. Our research is founded on a case study of a participatory evaluation project of practices in place at a social services organization, the CJQ-IU (Centre Jeunesse de Québec - Institut universitaire [Québec Youth Centre – University Institute, Canada])» (p. 113)

Questions/Hypothèses :
«Who were the various actors that were mobilized? In what form? At which steps of the evaluation? What was their degree of involvement and control concerning the evaluative process? What role was played by the lead team? In what measure is this evaluation participatory?» (p. 115)

2. Méthode

Échantillon/Matériau :
The authors used «[...] a sample of 28 individuals [...] assembled with care to assure an accurate representativeness of the different participants involved in the PEP [Practice Evaluation Project]. The first interviews were done with the project initiators and coordinators, followed by interviews with participating team members, management representatives, members of the steering committee and the lead team in charge of coordinating the PEP.» (p. 115)

Instruments :
- Guide d’entretien semi-directif
- Questionnaire

Type de traitement des données :
Analyse de contenu

3. Résumé

According to the authors, the results show «[...] that stakeholder learning is not limited to a better understanding of evaluation and its potential but also concerns learning regarding their everyday work, the programs and operations that they implement and the functioning of the organization in which they work. In this sense, our study also confirms Greene’s (1988) results that found that involved stakeholders in a participatory evaluation benefitted from the approach at both of the aforementioned levels. However, on the basis of our work, it is possible to relativize this statement at two levels. First of all, we have seen that not all stakeholders learn the same thing from a participatory evaluation process. Few previous studies focus in a detailed manner on the activities carried out by each of the actors involved in the process. And yet, on the basis of our work, it seems that here there is a promising path to grasp with greater precision the impact of process use. Next, in prolonging the analysis on the learning differentiated between the categories of actors involved in the evaluation, it becomes noticeable that certain actors who were marginally involved in the approach learn less, if anything, from the process.» (p. 121-122)