Date of Award
2024
Degree Type
Open Access Dissertation
Degree Name
Psychology, PhD
Program
School of Social Science, Politics, and Evaluation
Advisor/Supervisor/Committee Chair
Stewart I. Donaldson
Dissertation or Thesis Committee Member
J. Bradley Cousins
Dissertation or Thesis Committee Member
Paula H. Palmer
Dissertation or Thesis Committee Member
Candice Morkel
Terms of Use & License Information
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License
Rights Information
© 2025 Minji Cho
Keywords
Conceptual framework, Decolonizing evaluation, Methodologies, Neocolonialism, Intellectual realms
Subject Categories
Psychology
Abstract
The field of evaluation has been predominantly driven by Euro-Western perspectives, a result of their dominance in economic, geopolitical, and intellectual realms. This has led most evaluation approaches to be deeply rooted in Western worldviews. To avoid becoming instruments of neocolonialism, more decolonizing evaluation practices are necessary, emphasizing the needs of communities over the interests of donors. However, the field has a limited understanding of how decolonizing evaluation is being practiced and what the consequences are. The absence of clear guidance for decolonizing evaluation practices prevents evaluators from striving for more ethical practices. In response to these gaps, this dissertation proposes to develop a conceptual framework for decolonizing evaluation. Utilizing a complex mixed and multiple methods design, the study intentionally gathered diverse perspectives from multiple data sources, including Indigenous community members, evaluators, evaluation scholars and leaders, and evaluation literature. In total, 301 data sources were collected using various methods, including interviews ( n = 37), surveys ( n = 105), focus groups ( n = 2), evaluation literature ( n = 118), and EvalIndigenous recordings ( n = 39). Data were drawn from community members ( n = 31), evaluators ( n = 106), evaluation scholars and leaders ( n = 26), funders ( n = 19), and Korean evaluation scholars ( n = 5), alongside evaluation literature ( n = 118). Findings revealed that essential principles for decolonizing evaluation include responsiveness, self-determination of community members, and deconstruction of conventional and imperialistic perspectives, which require fundamental paradigm shifts in epistemology, axiology, and ontology within evaluation knowledge systems and practices. Additional key elements include relationality, holism, balance, ethical standards, and cultural protocols, emphasizing relationships among evaluation actors and the context. Community members highlighted the importance of evaluators listening to their histories and tailoring evaluations to reflect their unique contexts before asserting power in the evaluation process. Moreover, transformations in evaluation systems and improvements in evaluation practices, including enhanced validity and capacity, were identified as potential outcomes of decolonizing evaluation. Reflexivity, humility, respect, and empathy emerged as important evaluator qualities, positioning decolonizing evaluators as “reciprocal partners” in mutual learning and respect. The study also revealed nuanced differences among key evaluation actors, revealing varying priorities and perspectives that shape decolonizing evaluation. Recognizing that these principles are not static, the study suggests they should be adapted based on evolving community needs and priorities. The study expanded our understanding of decolonizing evaluation practices. The findings offer practical guidance for evaluation actors committed to decolonizing evaluation practices and systems within their respective domains. Furthermore, the study provides a foundation for future research, including evidence-building studies on decolonizing evaluation using case studies, such as success case methods and qualitative comparative analysis. With the rise of localized evaluation, comparative research on localization versus decolonization is also recommended to clarify when and how each approach is best applied. Lastly, research on evaluator training programs could illuminate how to integrate decolonizing evaluation into evaluator training curricula, ensuring evaluators are equipped with cultural responsiveness, Indigenous knowledge, technical and interpersonal skills, and a deep understanding of privilege and positionality in diverse settings.
ISBN
9798314895764
Recommended Citation
Cho, Minji. (2024). Developing a Conceptual Framework for Decolonizing Evaluation. CGU Theses & Dissertations, 939. https://scholarship.claremont.edu/cgu_etd/939.
