Advancing the Development and Application of Theory-based Evaluation in the Practice of Public Health

Abstract

Early proponents of theory-based evaluation have provided strong reasoning for this approach. Still, tools are needed for implementing it in practice. This paper helps fill the gap by providing strategies for constructing theories. Illustrations are given in the area of public health. The suggested techniques are designed to systematize and bring objectivity to the process of theory construction. Also introduced is a framework that illustrates different levels, and processes within each level, that should be considered when constructing program theories. The framework is valuable for theory-based discrepancy evaluation, the essence of which is to determine the extent of discrepancy that exists between the expected theory, as constructed using the tools introduced here, and what is actually observed in the evaluation.