title: Empowerment evaluation: building communities of practice and a culture of learning.
abstract: Empowerment evaluation is the use of evaluation concepts, techniques, and findings to foster improvement and self-determination. Program participants--including clients--conduct their own evaluations: an outside evaluator often serves as a coach or additional facilitator depending on internal program capabilities. Empowerment evaluation has three steps: 1) establishing a mission; 2) taking stock; and 3) planning for the future. These three steps build capacity. They also build a sense of community, often referred to as communities of practice. Empowerment evaluation also helps to create a culture of learning and evaluation within an organization or community.
authors.affiliation: School of Education, Stanford University, California 94305-3096, USA. davidf@stanford.edu
authors.forename: David M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Fetterman
mesh_terms: D004650:Employee Performance Appraisal; D006040:Goals; D006801:Humans; D007858:Learning; D015279:Organizational Culture; D026684:Personal Autonomy; D010934:Planning Techniques; D011209:Power, Psychological; D011593:Psychology, Social; D012647:Self-Assessment; D012655:Self-Evaluation Programs