Collaborative, Participatory & Empowerment Evaluation
Satlaj Dighe, Ph.D.
Assistant professor
University of North Carolina Wilmington, North Carolina, United States
Trupti Sarode, MDP
Director of Innovation & Strategy, GSPIA
University of Pittsburgh, United States
Katie Boone, MS (she/her/hers)
PhD Student
University of Minnesota, Minnesota, United States
Location: Grand Ballroom 2
Abstract Information: Narrative inquiry (NI) is a qualitative methodology that explores stories to understand human experiences and the meanings attached to them(Clandinin & Huber, 2010). Even though narrative inquiry has been used in the fields of education, organizational sciences, and knowledge management since the 1970s (Pinnegar & Daynes, 2007), the use of NI is still relatively new in the field of evaluation(Zucchini et al., 2022). Using multiple approaches, such as the biographical approach(Denzin, 1989), the psychological approach(Merriam & Tisdell, 2015), and the linguistic approach (Gee, 1999), the narrative analysis produces a nuanced understanding of what worked, for whom, in what context, and why. Participatory narrative inquiry moves the needle closer toward collaborative and community-engaged inquiry by giving voice and agency to program participants to tell their stories.
This 90-minute session aims to explain the theoretical underpinnings of PNI and build participants’ capacity to design and implement a narrative inquiry methodology for evaluation The session will utilize activities (e.g. pro-action cafe) and discussion to familiarize participants with four key pillars of narrative inquiry: 1) Finding a story, 2) Weaving a story, 3) Telling a story, and 4) Using a story. The finding a story segment will discuss the theoretical approaches behind PNI, the ethical dimensions of using narrative, and initiating conversations and collaborations with communities. Weaving a story will shed light on different approaches for designing a narrative inquiry for evaluation and a range of data collection methods such as picturing, paintings, metaphors, six-word stories, poetic narratives, autobiographical accounts, discourse analysis, and photovoice. The telling a story part will discuss stylistic elements of narrative inquiry such as plot, characters, and arc of the storyline with respect to evaluation context, stakeholders, and program development. The last segment will invite participants to identify uses, misuses, and abuses of narrative inquiry for producing credible and trustworthy evidence.
Participants will leave the session with new insights and practical resources and tools to deepen their community-engaged relational evaluation practice.
Relevance Statement: In recent years, evaluation practice has moved away from reductionist quantitative approaches to adopt context-rich qualitative methodologies. Several evaluators have advocated using culturally responsive and value-engaged approaches to enhance the social relevance and credibility of evaluation findings (Hood et al., 2005; Mertens, 1999; SenGupta et al., 2004). Similarly, evaluators from the Indigenous and Global South have advocated for situating evaluations in self, space, and language to enhance the authenticity and legitimacy of evaluation for non-western communities(Bowman, 2020; Chilisa et al., 2015; Kawakami et al., 2007). Against this backdrop, an interactive, context-rich, and collaborative approach, such as participatory narrative inquiry, could be a useful tool for the new generation of evaluators who seek to provide rich insights into program processes and outcomes.
Participatory narrative inquiry offers a complex account of the program journey as it approaches change from a person-based as opposed to a variable-based perspective (Asakura, 2019). The individual narratives mapped across time provide a nuanced portrayal of the interplay between various aspects of a program and its impact on individuals over time, eliciting more authentic evidence of change. The communication of stories through diverse media including text and art-based media such as theater, poetry, photos, fiction, and graffiti offers more agency to stakeholders and participating communities to tell their stories in a way they see fit. The longitudinal design describes the process, incremental changes, and consequences, thus capturing the process of becoming (Catanu & Grondin, 2010) for program stakeholders.
Narrative inquiry is about more than just telling stories; it places value in examining the underlying insights and assumptions that the story illustrates. It allows researchers and evaluators to a) understand how participants experience a program (as opposed to outcomes) b) allows them to get at information participants may not know themselves (e.g. deeply hidden assumptions) and c) highlights the temporal nature of experience (Duff, 2002).
It is also important to note that the methodology is not suitable for all kinds of inquiries; things like time commitment, ethical issues must be addressed appropriately. For instance, evaluator positionality (Cheng & Parker, 2017; Berger, 2015) becomes a key factor in how stories are interpreted and what meaning is attached to participants' experience of a program.
This session will expose participants to both the theory and practice of participatory narrative inquiry allowing them to explore and critique the use of PNI in diverse evaluation contexts. Through shedding light on stories as the object of analysis, the session will highlight concrete ways in which evaluators can understand and integrate stories into their relational evaluation practice.