Advisory Panel Workshop

July 2000

Overview

Chronology / Historical Perspective

Evaluation Methodology & Design

Paradigmatic underpinnings

Process and Management

Objectives

Overview of Evaluation Design

Some Challenges

Current status

Advisory Panel Workshop, November 1998 - Evaluation Methodology

• Paradigmatic underpinnings
• contextualises and informs the roles and responsibilities, the positioning of Soul City, Evaluation Co-ordinator and Contractors

Praxis Paradigm

• Theory & Practice: intervention & the evaluation
• Quality, Utility
• Linkage model: evaluated and evaluators
• Interplay between External / Internal Evaluation

Operationalisation / Practicalities

• Processes around design - at all levels
• Multiple think-tanks
• Layers of expertise and capacity in one team
  
  People …
  • Communication for change – theory
  • Intervention Specific
  • Evaluation Research Methodology & capacity to implement
• This forum as part of the process

Some key evaluation objectives

Reach & Audience Profile

• per media
• multiple exposure

Impact

measure / capture change

individual:

• KA (I)P [Knowledge, Attitude, (Intermediate) Practice]
• Perception of social norms
• Interpersonal “support” / debate / communication...

measure / capture change

community:

• norms / values
• mobilisation
• action

measure / capture change

society:

• policy and implementation of policy
  -policymakers / opinion leaders : national, provincial, local

• through knowledge / awareness / norms:
  -general population
  -key role players

Overview of Evaluation Design

• comprehensive, complex, multi-faceted
• impact
  
  -individual, community, societal levels of analysis
  -links, interactions, recursive influences

• Jigsaw puzzle
• Discrete and interlinked components, and sub-components
• Multiple Triangulation
• Exchange / communication between different studies

Some Challenges

• Multiple messages / number of themes
  -variable levels of exposure

• Interaction between various media
• Sifting through “background hum”
• Soul City as agent of change?
• Exchange / communication between different studies

More Challenges

• Increasing the power and scope of the design
• Mirror the complexities of the intervention
• Meaningful integration of qualitative and quantitative methodologies
• Theory - operationalisation
• Optimise the intervention specific nature of the design at all levels
• Research Management - between & within studies

Current status

• Data collection –
• Data analysis –
• Shape the process further – analysis and reporting