Elevando Voces: Participants as Knowledge Holders Of Equitable Data Collection Efforts in the Southwest

This session explores how culturally responsive and equitable data collection methods that center participants’ knowledge foster inclusive evaluation approaches. Highlighting three distinct projects—focusing on Spanish-speaking mothers and caregivers in Southern Arizona and undergraduate students from a Texas-Mexico border—we examine how contemporary data collection methods uphold participants’ voices to capture the lived experiences of key stakeholders. Each project demonstrates how evaluators can honor cultural and linguistic diversity, integrate community perspectives, and build trust through intentional methodologies. This work underscores the importance of evaluators as facilitators rather than sole experts by aligning with the American Evaluation Association’s (AEA) guiding principles and core competencies. Attendees will gain insights into strategies for embedding equity in evaluation, recognizing power dynamics, and fostering meaningful participant relationships. Through real-world examples, this session offers practical takeaways for evaluators seeking to advance participant-driven data collection practices.
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Julia Garcia; Angelica Monarrez