Lab 1: Question 1

[jmacost5]

I have a simple question about this, just to clarify are we doing this on the model that is described in the pdf listed above are are we proposing our own model.

[lecy]

Describing the Improving Cognitive Ability study in the chapter for the lab.

You will do the same thing for your own project, but I want you to get practice now because it can be surprisingly hard to give an elevator pitch for a research proposal. You need to get the funder excited about the program as well as convince them the research design will work.

[sunaynagoel]

This is related to Question #4. Is theory of change same as logic model? Are we supposed to list important points/steps in Theory of Change ?

[lecy]

We will cover theories of change some more, but you can preview them on pages 21-25 in the text:

Impact Evaluation

They are different than logic models, but related. The theory of change specifically is the theory of how and why the program actually works. But related, because logic models are a way to translate theories of change into program activities, outputs, outcomes, and indicators.

I specifically want to know how you think the program will change the outcome. What mechanisms are necessary for the program to work.

We will cover more in-depth, but here are a couple of quick readings that might help:

https://chemonics.com/blog/theory-change-easier-think/

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TOC maps out your initiative through 6 stages:

1. Identifying long-term goals
2. Backwards mapping and connecting the preconditions or requirements necessary to achieve that goal and explaining why these preconditions are necessary and sufficient.
3. Identifying your basic assumptions about the context.
4. Identifying the interventions that your initiative will perform to create your desired change.
5. Developing indicators to measure your outcomes to assess the performance of your initiative.
6. Writing a narrative to explain the logic of your initiative.

The TOC process hinges upon defining all of the necessary and sufficient conditions required to bring about a given long term outcome. TOC uses backwards mapping requiring planners to think in backwards steps from the long-term goal to the intermediate and then early-term changes that would be required to cause the desired change. This creates a set of connected outcomes known as a “pathway of change”. A “pathway of change” graphically represents the change process as it is understood by the initiative planners and is the skeleton around which the other elements of the theory are developed.

During the process of creating the pathway of change, participants are required to articulate as many of their assumptions about the change process as they can so that they can be examined and even tested to determine if any key assumptions are hard to support (or even false). There are typically three important types of assumptions to consider: (a) assertions about the connections between long term, intermediate and early outcomes on the map; (b) substantiation for the claim that all of the important preconditions for success have been identified; and (c) justifications supporting the links between program activities and the outcomes they are expected to produce. A fourth type of assumption which outlines the contextual or environmental factors that will support or hinder progress toward the realization of outcomes in the pathway of change is often an additional important factor in illustrating the complete theory of change.

TOC approach to planning is designed to encourage very clearly defined outcomes at every step of the change process. Users are required to specify a number of details about the nature of the desired change — including specifics about the target population, the amount of change required to signal success, and the timeframe over which such change is expected to occur. This attention to detail often helps both funders and grantees reassess the feasibility of reaching goals that may have initially been vaguely defined, and in the end, promotes the development of reasonable long-term outcome targets that are acceptable to all parties.

https://www.theoryofchange.org/what-is-theory-of-change/how-does-theory-of-change-work/

[castower]

Hello all, I know that we previously discussed latent constructs, but I feel like I'm drawing a blank on the exact definition. Does anyone remember which readings covered this?

Thanks! Courtney

[lecy]

See Week 1 Unit Overview:

https://ds4ps.org/cpp-529-master/schedule/

If your variable is a latent construct it must be measured using proxies or instruments (survey instruments, observational instruments, etc).

The latent construct describes the things you are trying to measure. IQ tests measure logical reasoning skills, for example. Credit score ideally measures your ability to repay debt (though it's a bad example because it's a horrible instrument from the design perspective).