The Persuasive Impact of Two Evaluation Reports On Agricultural Extension Administrators From Two Countries

During the last 30 years, the amount of aid and technical assistance given to developing countries has increased tremendously. Because of the increased aid, cross-cultural evaluation has become more common. This study sought to determine whether culture has an influence on evaluation. The researchers accomplished this by conducting a simulation experiment designed to explore the persuasive impact of a qualitative and a quantitative evaluation report on high- and mid-level agricultural extension administrators from central Mexico and northern central United States. A doubly multivariate repeated measures MANOVA yielded the following results: (a) subjects from Mexico rated the evaluation reports significantly higher than did the U.S. subjects, (b) subjects rated the quantitative evaluation report significantly higher than the qualitative evaluation report, and (c) there was a weak interaction between culture and the methodological approach of the reports. The results are discussed and recommendations are made for international evaluators.