The Theory of Change Approach
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So what exactly (or inexactly) is the Theory of Change Approach?

*It depends a little on who you ask.

A Theory of Change explains how a group of early and intermediate
accomplishments sets the stage for producing long-range results.
* The Community Builder’s
Approach to Theory of
Change.

A Theory of Change is about the central processes or drivers through which
change comes about for individuals, groups or communities. It can derive from
a formal research-based theory or from an untested, tacit understanding about
how things work.
* Funnell and Rogers.
“Purposeful Program Theory”.

A Theory of Change has basic components:
3
Impacts
Strategies
Connections

are (obviously) what the program or initiative hopes to accomplish.
Improved health
Lower rates of re-arrest
Increased school attendance
Long-term employment
Less bullying
Impacts

are what the program does to bring about the desired impacts.Strategies

Most programs deploy multiple which can be grouped together.strategies

For example, a program to the reduce incidence and lessen
the impacts of school bullying might include strategies to:
Educate Students
Train Teachers
New School Policies
Provide Counseling

There may be several interventionsfor each of these strategies.
For example

Educate Students Train Teachers Provide Counseling New School Policies
 In-class curriculum
 Assembly programs
 Publicity
 In-service training
 Coaching
 For victims
 For bullies
 Rules and sanctions
 Better monitoring of
incidents
 Improved responsiveness
Interventions

In-class curriculumIn-service training
Counseling for bullies Rules and sanctions
Assembly programs
Publicity
Coaching teachers
Counseling for victims
Better monitoring of incidents
Improved responsiveness
Reduce incidents and
lessen the impacts of
school bullying
But how do we relate this to this
?

By mapping logical pathways: between activities and outcomes. For example

In-class curriculum
Teacher training
Counseling for bullies
Rules and sanctions
Assembly programs
Publicity
Teacher coaching
Counseling for victims
Better monitoring of incidents
Improved responsiveness
Fewer incidents of bullying
Lessened impacts on victims
Improved school climate
Students develop new attitudes
Students feel empowered

That was a fairly simple model. It only had two main outcomes
and it included only a few antecedent steps.

But it was a bit of a mess, wasn’t it?

And there may be more than one way of mapping out the paths.

And it’s easy to get lost.

So remind me again. Whyare we doing this?

Let’s reviewone of our definitions of “Theory of Change”.

A Theory of Change is about the central processes or drivers through which
change comes about for individuals, groups or communities. It can be
derived from a formal research-based theory or from an untested, tacit
understanding about how things work.
* Funnell and Rogers.
“Purposeful Program Theory”.

A Theory of Change is about the central processes or drivers through which
change comes about for individuals, groups or communities. It can be
derived from a formal research-based theory or from an untested, tacit
understanding about how things work.

This idea is absolutelycritical.

Like really.

Yet many Theories of Change neglect it.

Without a theory, there is no Theory of Change

What do youthink drives change?

Individual behavior change for example?
* A common goal of many social
programs.

How many theories can youlist for individual behavior change?

Incentives (carrots and sticks)
Knowledge about the costs of old behaviors
Knowledge about the benefits of new behaviors
Coaching, modeling and/or mentoring
Case management
Psychotherapy
Here’s a partial list:
Person Focused

Economic conditions
Institutional changes
Community change
New rules or regulations
New norms of social behavior
Improved access to resources
Here’s what many people forget:
Social Focused

Theories of change can be based on professional experience, academic
research, sound hypotheses based on prior research or even common sense.
Caution!

Creating a TOC model makes it possible to articulate
and therefore scrutinize the theories that underlie
claims about how and why a set of interventions
leads to a set of outcomes.
*

Unfortunately, many programs
are based on
Access to a resource Use of that resource
Knowledge Behavior change
Sending a message Communication
Ownership Responsibility
Faulty theories
:

Or they fail to acknowledge alternate theories.

Let’s examine the theories behind one element of our bullying program.

* This line indicates an assumed
theoretical link between counseling
for bullies and less bullying
behavior. BUT does this connection
make sense?
In-class curriculum
Teacher training
Counseling for bullies
Rules and sanctions
Assembly programs
Publicity
Teacher coaching
Counseling for victims
Better monitoring of incidents
Improved responsiveness
Fewer incidents of bullying
Lessened impacts on victims
Improved school climate
Students develop new attitudes
Students feel empowered

What:
Evidence is there that bullies have psychological problems?
Evidence is there that those problems can be reduced with counseling?
Type of counseling is warranted?
Are the possible risks of a counseling approach?

And what about dosage? How much counseling does theory suggest?

Answers to these questions need to bearticulated.

That’s the whole ideabehind Theory of Change

If the theory upon which your program is based makes
sense, then you know you’re doing the right things.
Knowlton and Phillips, The
Logic Model Guidebook

Of course in order to be successful, you also
have to do the things right.
Knowlton and Phillips, The
Logic Model Guidebook

Program evaluation can inform both of these.

But that’s another story.

If you found this useful, we’d love it if
you would share it with your networks.
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