Expertise in methodologies and methods encompasses:

• Participatory evaluation
• Empowerment evaluation
• Program evaluation
• Participatory action research
• Feminist research and evaluation methods
• Qualitative research methods
• Case studies
• Discourse analysis.

Specific processes June has significant knowledge and expertise in include:

• Management of diverse stakeholders and community participants
• Inclusive community participation and consultation
• Community and group capacity building, including evaluation capacity building
• Community engagement
• Community and group communication and networking, including online communication.

This knowledge has been applied in projects and programs related to:

• Sustainable community and economic development in rural areas
• Building community capacities in evaluating community IT projects
• Use and impacts of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in rural and regional communities
• The impacts of rural women’s use of the Internet and online groups
• Rural women’s leadership and development
• Development of learning communities
• Adult education and training
• Community nutrition and health.

Approach to research and evaluation

Research and evaluation projects are designed and conducted in close collaboration with clients, using rigorous methods and contemporary theoretical and methodological frameworks. The emphasis is on identifying and using the most practical, effective and useful approach for each project or program and applying high ethical standards. Multiple methods are often used to obtain more trustworthy results.

Using a participatory evaluation approach, evaluation is seen as an ongoing action learning process that aims to improve projects or programs in ways that better meet community, organisational or client needs and goals. In an ideal situation, monitoring and evaluation become built into projects so that continuous learning and improvement takes place.

Inclusive and empowering methods are used that aim to build the evaluation capacities of participants and organisations. This involves using effective tools such as Fetterman's three step empowerment evaluation methodology and the four step EvaluateIT process (http://www.evaluateit.org) which June developed and rigorously tested in collaboration with community groups, project partners and other researchers.