Abstract
Background: The KwaZulu-Natal Sandstone Sourveld (KZNSS) Research Programme is part of a collaborative, transdisciplinary research partnership between the University of KwaZulu-Natal and the eThekwini Municipality (EM), aimed at bridging the science-policy-practice gap. The research programme focuses on generating knowledge and capacity to support local land-use planning, management and policy development related to biodiversity and climate change issues. Objectives: The objectives were (1) to describe how a continuous reflective evaluation approach helped to better understand the research programme and its outcomes; and (2) to assess research outputs and outcomes, relevance of outcomes to the requirements of EM, and participants’ perceptions of the programme (both the outcomes and the process). Methods: The evaluation took a mixed methods approach, combining various quantitative and qualitative methods such as anonymous individual questionnaires, reflective exercises and group reflections. Results: The KZNSS programme was successful in capacity building and establishing a long-term partnership, but had lower scientific publication output and practice uptake than expected. Participants’ perceptions changed over time, with a decrease in the perceived success of addressing tangible research outcomes, and an increase in the perceived success of collaborative relationships in the partnership. Conclusion: Transdisciplinary partnerships can be a means of integrating research into policy and practice through knowledge exchange. An important lesson in the early stages of this partnership was to pay attention to the process and not only the outputs. The study highlights the importance of continuous participatory reflection and evaluation in such partnerships.
Highlights
Programme evaluation and evaluation research have received considerable attention recently (e.g. Fazey et al 2013; Rossi, Lipsey & Freeman 2003)
Given the pluralism of disciplines, research paradigms, and stakeholders’ expectations, inter- and transdisciplinary research programmes require a specific approach for evaluation (Klein 2008)
We present an evaluation of the KwaZulu-Natal Sandstone Sourveld (KZNSS) Research Programme, which falls under the broader Durban Research Action Partnership (D’RAP), to reflect on its effectiveness at an early stage of the partnership
Summary
Programme evaluation and evaluation research have received considerable attention recently (e.g. Fazey et al 2013; Rossi, Lipsey & Freeman 2003). The quality and significance of research programmes are traditionally evaluated against tangible, clearly measured outputs linked directly to the research itself, such as the number of peer-reviewed publications, number of citations, graduate training and other direct deliverables. Such systems of evaluation tend to suit research in well-defined disciplines but are potentially inappropriate for evaluating interdisciplinary or transdisciplinary research. TD research, as defined in the sustainability sciences, is a research approach that addresses societal problems by means of interdisciplinary collaboration, and by transcending the boundary between science and society (Lang et al 2012) This is achieved through collaboration between researchers and societal actors or practitioners, enabling mutual learning and co-production of knowledge http://www.abcjournal.org. The research programme focuses on generating knowledge and capacity to support local land-use planning, management and policy development related to biodiversity and climate change issues
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