American Journal of Evaluation, Ahead of Print.
Although most evaluators are familiar with participatory evaluation (PE), the ability to measure stakeholder participation in an evaluation remains challenging. Based on Cousins and Whitmore’s (1998) PE theoretical model, Daigneault and Jacob (2009, 2012, 2014) developed an instrument for measuring the degree to which an evaluation can be considered participatory. The present study used Daigneault and Jacob’s Participatory Evaluation Measurement Instrument (PEMI) in the evaluation of a public school district’s educator mentoring program. The evaluators examined the benefits and challenges of using the instrument in public school settings. This paper details the procedure of using PEMI to explore the level of stakeholder participation in the evaluation case and uses a process similar to the mini-ethnography method to reflect on the experiences of the evaluators through the procedure. Findings show that in addition to accurately capturing the perceived level of participation, PEMI may be utilized in the planning phases of evaluation.