Department of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA.
Department of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA.
Eval Program Plann. 2022 Jun;92:102073. doi: 10.1016/j.evalprogplan.2022.102073. Epub 2022 Mar 16.
Despite the many challenges inherent in conducting high-quality evaluations in the field of environmental education (EE), there is a growing recognition of the importance of evaluation, not only to gauge program success, but also to use evaluation results to improve programming, support organizational learning, and ensure programs are meeting the needs of diverse audiences. The challenges to conducting high-quality evaluations are exacerbated by historical issues of inequity and systemic racism that are pervasive in the United States and globally. We reviewed the literature on culturally responsive approaches to evaluation to propose a culturally responsive evaluation framework and consider its application in EE. This framework helps EE organizations and evaluators consider how issues of race, power, privilege, and inequity influence the evaluation process and the validity of evaluation findings. Implementing this framework may be resource-intensive, but it has the potential to improve evaluation processes and produce actionable results to further address issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion in the field of EE. We call for organizations that support EE efforts to recognize the importance of this approach, and provide adequate resources to encourage its implementation.
尽管在环境教育（EE）领域进行高质量评估存在许多固有挑战，但人们越来越认识到评估的重要性，不仅是为了衡量项目的成功，还为了利用评估结果改进项目、支持组织学习，并确保项目满足不同受众的需求。在美国和全球普遍存在的历史上不公平和系统性种族主义问题，使得进行高质量评估的挑战更加严重。我们回顾了关于文化响应评估方法的文献，提出了一个文化响应评估框架，并考虑了其在 EE 中的应用。该框架帮助 EE 组织和评估者考虑种族、权力、特权和不平等问题如何影响评估过程和评估结果的有效性。实施这个框架可能需要大量的资源，但它有可能改善评估过程，并产生可操作的结果，以进一步解决 EE 领域的多样性、公平性和包容性问题。我们呼吁支持 EE 努力的组织认识到这种方法的重要性，并提供足够的资源来鼓励其实施。
