title: Reflections on the evaluation of a Cambodian youth dance program.
abstract: Evaluating a youth program whose goals are to provide instruction in Cambodian dance, increase awareness and pride in Cambodian culture, promote healthy behaviors, and create linkages within the community has been a challenge. A primary source of conflict was incorporating evaluation methods that were required of all funded programs with our own specifically tailored measures. One of our concerns was that the required tools were not culturally appropriate for our participants. Our experiences reinforce the importance of forming partnerships that embrace principles of respect, equity, and empowerment among all involved before establishing a research agenda. The choices we made and did not make contributed to our struggles and frustration and also to the insight that was gained. Our analysis examines the importance of clear communication, cultural awareness, tailoring evaluation, and meaningful participation. We believe that the lessons we learned will help facilitate the conduct of culturally sensitive community-based research.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Mahoney Hall Room 110A, 870 Broadway Street, Lowell, Massachusetts 01854, USA. nina_coppens@uml.edu
authors.forename: Nina M
authors.initials: NM
authors.lastname: Coppens
authors.forename: Ruth
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Page
authors.forename: Tim Chan
authors.initials: TC
authors.lastname: Thou
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001213:Asian / Q000523:psychology*; D002160:Cambodia / Q000208:ethnology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003144:Communication Barriers; D003156:Community Mental Health Services; D003469:Culture; D003615:Dancing; D034462:Dissent and Disputes; D005008:Ethnopsychology; D005260:Female; D006293:Health Promotion; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008404:Massachusetts; D015397:Program Evaluation / Q000379:methods*; D012036:Refugees / Q000523:psychology; D012649:Self Concept; D012945:Social Values / Q000208:ethnology*