The Case for Participatory Evaluation

Participatory evaluation is presented as an extension of the stakeholder-based model with a focus on enhancing evaluation utilization through primary users’ increased depth and range of participation in the applied research process. The approach is briefly described and then justified from theoretical and empirical bases. The literature on organizational learning provides theoretical support for participatory evaluation stemming primarily from the view that knowledge is socially constructed and cognitive systems and memories are developed and shared by organization members. Twenty-six recent empirical studies were found to support an organizational learning justification of the model. Studies were classified into one of six emergent categories: conceptions of use; effects of participation on the use of research; effects of participation on the use of disseminated knowledge; effects of research training; school-university partnerships; and internal evaluation. Requirements of organizations and evaluators and an agenda for research are discussed

Culturally Competent Evaluation for Aboriginal Communities: A Review of the Empirical Literature

uch of program evaluation is concerned with understanding and improving social programs so that they are ultimately more responsive and more reflective of program participant needs. At the same time, these programs exist and are embedded within specific social, cultural and historical contexts which impact program development, implementation, and eventual outcomes. Evaluations that attempt to address responsiveness to contextual and cultural specificity are often referred to as culturally competent, culturally responsive, inclusive, multicultural, or cross-cultural, among other terms. While there are no agreed upo

Antibullying Interventions in Schools : Ingredients of Effective Programs

Because bullying is a serious problem in Canadian schools, antibullying programs have been widely implemented to redress the problem. School principals in Ontario (N=395) completed a questionnaire to document the severity of bullying, the amount of anti‐bullying resources, and the variety of antibullying activities in their schools. Results reveal that reductions in bullying in previous years, sufficiency of resources for resolving bullying, and amounts of antibullying programming were all positively associated antibullying program outcomes. These data suggest that the investment of time, effort, and money in school‐based antibullying initiatives can lead to safer and more peaceful schools environments. Key words: bullying, primary prevention, program evaluation Comme l’intimidation est un problème sérieux dans les écoles canadiennes, des programmes de lutte contre l’intimidation font leur apparition un peu partout. Des directeurs et directrices d’école en Ontario (N = 395) ont rempli un questionnaire visant à documenter la gravité du problème, les ressources existantes et les diverses activités anti‐intimidation mises en place dans les écoles. D’après les résultats du questionnaire, la réduction de l’intimidation au cours des années précédentes, la pertinence des ressources en place pour faire face aux incidents d’intimidation et le nombre de programmes de lutte contre l’intimidation étaient tous corrélés à l’amélioration des résultats en la matière. Ces données semblent indiquer que le temps, les efforts et les fonds investis dans les initiatives anti‐intimidation contribuent à créer un climat de paix et rendre les écoles plus sécuritaires. Mots clés : intimidation, prévention, évaluation de programmes.

Nonlinear modal coupling in a high-stress doubly-clamped nanomechanical resonator

We present results from a study of the nonlinear intermodal coupling between different flexural vibrational modes of a single high-stress, doubly-clamped silicon nitride nanomechanical beam. The measurements were carried out at 100 mK and the beam was actuated using the magnetomotive technique. We observed the nonlinear behavior of the modes individually and also measured the coupling between them by driving the beam at multiple frequencies. We demonstrate that the different modes of the resonator are coupled to each other by the displacement induced tension in the beam, which also leads to the well known Duffing nonlinearity in doubly-clamped beams.Comment: 15 pages, 7 figure