The+Books+and+Beyond+Project

Beth Samuelson, Assistant Professor, Indiana University Bita Zakeri, Ph.D. student, Indiana University Eleanor Stevenson, Undergraduate student , Indiana University Ross Smith, Undergraduate student , Indiana University Caitlin Ryan, Undergraduate student, Indiana University
 * The Books & Beyond Project: A case study in youth participatory evaluation**



** Keywords ** : Youth participatory evaluation, case study, community impact, sociocultural learning

** Track ** : Program evaluation and assessment

** Format ** : Poster presentation


 * Date & time: **Friday 3:20-4:30
 * Location: **Salon 4 / Salon 9

** Summary ** : Youth participatory evaluation (YPE) is a promising methodology for capturing evidence of impact by engaging participants in the process of evaluation. This presentation examines YPE through an exploratory case study of the Books & Beyond Project, a co-curricular service-learning program of the Global Village Living-Learning Center at Indiana University.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 140%;">The project is a student-led effort, with students serving as writing partners, collaborators, documenters, evaluators, and fundraisers. The project links students from Indiana University, Bloomington, with secondary school students from TEAM charter schools in Newark, New Jersey. The partnership also engages students from Kabwende Primary Center in Kinigi, Rwanda. Students at both TEAM and Kabwende write and illustrate short stories on topics such as “home,” “places of safety,” and “protecting our environment.”

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 140%;">The study is grounded in three theoretical traditions: Vygotskian’s (1978, 1986) perspective on the socially situated nature of teaching and learning, with a particular emphasis on performativity (Sabo, 2003a); Hart’s “Ladder of Young People’s Participation” provides a rubric for tracking progressively more autonomous and informed engagement (Hart, 1997); and theories that promote service-learning as a ‘text’ to be interpreted and critiqued by students and their advisors (Bringle & Hatcher, 2009). The study proceeded in two stages. First, the youth evaluation team asked what insights the participants might offer regarding the project and its future. Second, the team asked what lessons might be learned from conducting a program evaluation that is run by students, with assistance from college faculty.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 140%;">The team collected individual reflections on their involvement in the evaluation process and consulted existing research literature on YPE. The case study confirmed the value of YPE as a learning process and source of results (Voakes, 2003). The youth evaluators also reported that more relevant results were produced in comparison to evaluation conducted by adult outsiders (London, Zimmerman, & Erbstein, 2003).

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 140%;">** References ** :
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 140%;">Bringle, R. G., & Hatcher, J. A. (2009). Innovative practices in service-learning and curricular engagement. //New Directions for Higher Education, 147//, 37-46.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 140%;">Denzin, N. K., & Lincoln, Y. S. (2008). //Collecting and interpreting qualitative materials// (3rd ed.). Los Angeles: Sage Publications.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 140%;">Hart, R. A. (1997). //Children's participation: The theory and practice of involving young citizens in community development and environmental care//. New York: Earthscan.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 140%;">King, J. A., Cousins, J., & Whitmore, E. (2007). Making sense of participatory evaluation: Framing participatory evaluation. //New Directions for Evaluation, 114//, 83-105.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 140%;">Kress, G. R. (2010). //Multimodality: A social semiotic approach to contemporary communication//. New York: Routledge. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 140%;">London, J. K., Zimmerman, K., & Erbstein, N. (2003). Youth-led research and evaluation: Tools for youth, organizational, and community development. //New Directions for Evaluation, 98//, 33-45.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 140%;">Sabo, K. F. (2003a). A Vygotskian perspective on youth participatory evaluation. //New Directions for Evaluation// (98), 13-24.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 140%;">Sabo, K. F. (2003b). //Youth participatory evaluation: A field in the making//. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 140%;">Sabo, K. F. (2008). //Youth participatory evaluation: Strategies for engaging young people//. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 140%;">Voakes, L. (2003). Listening to the experts. //New Directions for Evaluation, 98//, 25-32.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 140%;">Vygotsky, L. (1978). //Mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes//. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 140%;">Vygotsky, L. (1986). //Thought and language// (A. Kozulin, Trans.). Cambridge: MIT Press.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 140%;">Yin, R. (1994). //Case study research: Design and methods// (2nd ed. Vol. 5). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

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