the theory of change approach

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

ImpactsStrategiesConnections

are (obviously) what the program or initiative hopes to accomplish.

Improved healthLower rates of re-arrestIncreased school attendanceLong-term employmentLess 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 interventions for 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 curriculum

In-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. Why are we doing this?

Let’s review one 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 absolutely critical.

Like really.

Yet many Theories of Change neglect it.

Without a theory, there is no Theory of Change

What do you think drives

change?

Individual behavior change for

example?

* A common goal of many social programs.

How many theories can you list for individual

behavior change?

Incentives (carrots and sticks)Knowledge about the costs of old behaviors

Knowledge about the benefits of new behaviorsCoaching, modeling and/or mentoring

Case managementPsychotherapy

Here’s a partial list:

Person Focused

Economic conditionsInstitutional changes

Community changeNew rules or regulations

New norms of social behaviorImproved access to resources

Here’s what many people forget:

Social Focused

(In in

divid

ualistic

soci

eties)

Theories of change can be based on professional experience, academicresearch, 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 resourceKnowledge Behavior

changeSending 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 be articulated.

That’s the whole idea behind 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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