Exploring identity-oriented evaluation for rural community development: A constructivist grounded theory approach

Abstract

ABSTRACT Many practitioners use culturally responsive approaches for community development; however, identity-oriented frameworks may enhance holistic engagement with communities and foster increased participatory collaboration. The current study identifies components of identity narratives within a community-based health-promotion initiative focused on rural food access through a culturally responsive lens to develop a preliminary theory of identity-oriented evaluation. Data were collected with members of the community coalition in one county participating in the rural health-promotion program. A constructivist grounded theory approach was used to identify themes related to identity construction by participants. Themes included community identity, economic narratives of health, personal identity, descriptions of coalition, cultural food preferences, identity constructions around health, community-first perspective, collaboration across community sectors, slowness of change, and social observations related to behavior change. Looking at the themes in a rural health-promotion context, the authors discuss implications for engaging in community development using identity as an entry point for participatory work.