Essential competencies for program evaluators in a diverse cultural context

Essential evaluator competencies as identified by Stevahn, King, Ghere, and Minnema (2005) were studied in regard to how well they generalize to an Asian (Taiwan) context. A fuzzy Delphi survey with two iterations was used to collect data from 12 experts. While most competencies fit Taiwan, there were a number of unique ones. A complete set of results is provided along with the implications of the findings and what they might mean for evaluation in Taiwan particularly in relationship to the professionalization of evaluation.

► Essential evaluator competencies identified by Stevahn et al. were studied to see how well they generalize to an Asian context. ► A fuzzy Delphi with two iterations was employed. ► Most competencies fit Taiwan but there were some unique ones. ► Additional items, like ‘Avoids possible inside benefit’ and ‘Ensures the confidentiality of information’ were highly associated with the norms and values of the national culture.