Realist evaluation of social and behaviour change interventions: Co-building theory and evidence of impact
African Evaluation Journal
| Field | Value | |
| Title | Realist evaluation of social and behaviour change interventions: Co-building theory and evidence of impact | |
| Creator | Igras, Susan Diakité, Mariam Kohli, Anjalee Fogliani, Carley | |
| Description | Background: A complexity-aware approach, realist evaluation is ideal for norms-shifting interventions (NSIs), which are not well-understood but gaining prominence in behaviour change programming in Africa and globally to foster enabling socionormative environments that sustain behaviour change. A new application of realist evaluation to NSIs uses an adapted approach employing realism values that is suitable for social and behaviour change (SBC) programme evaluation more generally.Objectives: This article shares the authors’ reflections on tailoring realist evaluation approaches for use with community-based norms-shifting programmes. It describes how realist evaluation enables co-building of programme theory that conceptually underpins NSIs, guides evaluation efforts and yields benefits beyond theory-proving.Method: Two NSIs in Niger and Senegal illustrate how locally refined theories of change (TOC) and identification of evidence gaps in causal pathways guided a series of rapid programme and quasi-experimental outcome studies. Over two years externally and internally led studies assessed intermediate or mediating norms-shifting effects and outcomes comprising the realist evaluation. Studies drew from experiential, existing and new data.Results: The tailored approach created a co-owned evaluation, from joint exploration of SBC theory to review of evidence generation. Five values applied to the research–practice partnerships reinforced a realist perspective: participatory, complexity, shared ownership, practice-oriented and valuing all forms of data.Conclusion: Bounded by TOC exploration for programme inquiry, realist evaluation embeds learning and assessment concretely into local programming and knowledge building. Integrating evaluation practice with realism values creates a nexus and a unique and significant dynamic between programme implementers and evaluators that transcends NSI research and programme practice. | |
| Publisher | AOSIS | |
| Date | 2022-11-21 | |
| Identifier | 10.4102/aej.v10i1.657 | |
| Source | African Evaluation Journal; Vol 10, No 1 (2022); 9 pages 2306-5133 2310-4988 | |
| Language | eng | |
| Relation |
The following web links (URLs) may trigger a file download or direct you to an alternative webpage to gain access to a publication file format of the published article:
https://aejonline.org/index.php/aej/article/view/657/1167
https://aejonline.org/index.php/aej/article/view/657/1168
https://aejonline.org/index.php/aej/article/view/657/1169
https://aejonline.org/index.php/aej/article/view/657/1170
|
|
ADVERTISEMENT
