Evaluation

The evaluation was oriented to learning about the process, impacts, and experiences of the VALTA Project. Discussion with the Project coordinators established the following as the primary purposes of evaluation:

• To inform the Project as it unfolded by offering an evaluative perspective to Project development and implementation and by providing timely evaluation learning about what was working and what needed revision.
• To identify the differences the VALTA Project has made for participants and for their programs: personal change, program change, change in communities in which programs are located (What were the actual outcomes of participation in the Project?).
• To identify the key elements of the VALTA Project in facilitating/supporting change in knowledge, understanding and practice (How did the Project contribute to outcomes?).
• To learn about the participants' experiences in the VALTA Project (What was it like to be involved?).

Data Collection and Interpretation

In keeping with the evaluation purposes and our interpretive evaluation approach, we relied on qualitative methods of data collection that would allow for understanding participants' experiences at a deeper level. We hoped to collect data primarily by means of telephone interviews with each participant. With this in mind, we developed open-ended questions and sent them to participants by e-mail, indicating in a cover note that we would be telephoning them to set up a time for an interview. Although we encouraged participants to respond through a telephone interview, we also offered the option of responding in writing by e-mail or post.

Data collection was designed to be congruent with the two main phases of the Project. Thus, we sent the initial set of questions to participants as the first phase was coming to a close. Eight (8) participants responded by means of a telephone interview only, one (1) responded by e-mail, and one (1) sent an e-mail response and participated in a telephone interview. The second round of data collection took place at the end of the Project when the research project phase had formally ended. However, several participants were still involved in completing their research projects at this time. Of the eight participants who remained engaged in the Project, seven responded to the evaluation questions, six (6) through telephone interviews and one (1) by e-mail.