Beyond the Buzzword
A Framework for an Indigenous Relational Evaluation in Traditional Communities in Ghana
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 12470906 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Evans Sakyi Boadu (0000-0002-3705-9386, University of the Western Cape, corresponding author), Isioma Ile (0000-0002-7460-2026, University of the Western Cape) |
| Year | 2022 |
| Volume | 45 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 467-488 |
| Publication date | 2022-12-20 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | American Journal of Evaluation (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1098-2140 • E-ISSN: 1557-0878 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/10982140211048459 |
| OpenAlex | W4313466245 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 4 |
| References cited | 38 |
The notions of indigenous knowledge and cultural philosophies are becoming ubiquitous in many social inquiries, and evaluation is no exception. Nonetheless, the pursuit to embed relevant indigenous philosophies in contemporary evaluation has yet to succeed. In this article, we discuss indigenous relational philosophies, approaches, and practices as they relate to evaluation. Using qualitative research approaches, we interviewed 43 Indigenous development leaders and other local representatives in three local government areas in Ghana. Utilizing evidence synthesis approaches through a triangulation process, we conclude that indigenous knowledge and other cultural ethos were distinct in community-based development evaluation processes. There was an elusive intersection between indigenous and contemporary evaluation paradigms. Indigenous evaluation has principles such as community spirit, mutual trust, self-organization, relational patterns or networks, “ubuntu” ideals, consensus building, and collective action that can complement contemporary evaluation for the effective and efficient evaluation of community development programs and social policies. We identify key indigenous elements and other indigenous relational assessment patterns to aid in the design of an indigenously driven relational evaluation framework. The evaluative competencies embedded in indigenous philosophies are vast, thus, a call for future research is proposed
Economic growth · Evaluation methods · Indigenous · Political science · Program evaluation · Public relations · Sociology · Traditional knowledge · Community Development and Social Impact · Community Health and Development · Engineering · Evaluation and Performance Assessment · Public Administration
How to plan and perform a qualitative study using content analysis
EvalIndigenous Origin Story
Reflections on Evaluating in Indigenous Contexts
Nation-to-Nation Evaluation
Decolonizing and Indigenizing Evaluation Practice in Africa
Moving Beyond the Buzzword
Exploring Use and Influence in Culturally Responsive Approaches to Evaluation
Document Analysis as a Qualitative Research Method
Multicultural Awareness in Evaluation
Evaluation and/as Social Relation
Culturally Responsive Evaluation Meets Systems-Oriented Evaluation
Looking Backward but Moving Forward
Rooting Evaluation Guidelines in Relational Ethics
Identifying the Evaluative Impulse in Local Culture
Grounding Evaluations in Culture
Two Decades of Developments in Qualitative Inquiry
Community engagement with a postcolonial, African-based relational paradigm
The Power of Constructivist Grounded Theory for Critical Inquiry
Indigenizing Participation for Sustainable Community-Based Development Programmes in Ghana
| Citations per year | 4 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2025 - 2026 (2) |
| Highly cited | No |