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From principles to practice : exploring the role of the evaluator in implementing a made in Africa evaluation approach
Thesis (MPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2023.
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | en_ZA |
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Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
2023
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| _version_ | 1867613929954344960 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Murgatroyd, Amy |
| author2 | Feront, Cecile |
| author_browse | Feront, Cecile Murgatroyd, Amy |
| author_facet | Feront, Cecile Murgatroyd, Amy |
| author_sort | Murgatroyd, Amy |
| collection | Thesis |
| dc_rights_str_mv | Stellenbosch University |
| description | Thesis (MPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2023. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/129442 |
| institution | Stellenbosch University (South Africa) |
| language | en_ZA |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:43:57.787Z |
| license_str | Other — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| publishDate | 2023 |
| publishDateRange | 2023 |
| publishDateSort | 2023 |
| publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| publisherStr | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| spelling | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/129442 From principles to practice : exploring the role of the evaluator in implementing a made in Africa evaluation approach Murgatroyd, Amy Feront, Cecile Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences. Centre for Sustainability Transition. Sustainable development -- Africa Community-Based Evaluation -- Africa Methodology -- Evaluation -- Africa UCTD Thesis (MPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2023. ENGLISH SUMMARY: Across the continent, Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) are being pressured to align their reporting processes with those of the Euro-American donor organisations that fund them. These frameworks perpetuate a top-down extractive approach to evaluation that serves the reporting needs and interests of donors but fails to capture the actual impact of interventions and leaves participants voiceless, objectified and disempowered. In response, the African Evaluation Association (AfrEA) have put forward Made in Africa Evaluation (MAE), an approach that aims to contextualise evaluative practice and measure success as experienced by programme participants. To foster a common understanding and consistent application of MAE, AfrEA have published a set of principles for practice. However, it is unclear the extent to which these principles align with the current literature on MAE written by participating scholars and practitioners, and how effectively they support the implementation work of evaluators. Further, there has been limited research on what it means in practice for evaluators to implement a MAE approach, while continuing to satisfy the needs and expectations of all stakeholders in the evaluation ecosystem. To investigate the role of the evaluator in advancing MAE, I conduct both a theoretical and empirical inquiry, presented in journal article format. Using an integrative literature review method, I analyse 42 documents on MAE and synthesise the key themes emerging from the literature. I then map these dominant themes against AfrEA’s principles for practice to assess their alignment. This analysis reveals unresolved tensions within MAE, particularly when it comes to how an authentic Africa-rooted practice is constructed, how identity and positionality are acknowledged, how genuine participation and fair representation are achieved, and how Indigenous knowledge can be disseminated for MAE. It further reveals the integral role that evaluators play in shaping the practice from the ground up. For the empirical inquiry, I use a participatory approach to co-create a MAE framework for two youth development programmes operated by a NGO in rural Kwa-Zulu Natal, South Africa. I gather data using semi-structured interviews, focus groups and observations. This investigation reveals that when applying a MAE approach, the role of the evaluator extends beyond its traditional scope to include the active facilitation of collaboration between key stakeholders; staying true to the lived experience of programme participants requires looking beyond individuals to an impact ecosystem; and since there is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach, the evaluator needs to actively involve community members in the co-creation of an evaluation framework that best meets their values, purposes and realities. Three overarching contributions emerge from this research. First, the evaluator plays a central role in ensuring that the aspirations of MAE are translated into practice and thus there is a need to further conceptualise their role in the implementation process. Second, MAE evaluators need to look beyond the existing standardised evaluation metrics and frameworks, and use their relational and transformative competencies to attune their evaluations to the context. Third, and last, through the use of dialogue and dialogic spaces, evaluators can work to align the needs and priorities of all stakeholders and successfully align evaluation frameworks with a MAE approach. AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Nieregeringsorganisasies (NRO’s) van oor die hele vasteland is onder druk om hulle verslagdoeningsprosesse aan te pas by die van die Euro-Amerikaanse skenkerorganisasies wat hulle finansier. Daardie verslagdoeningsraamwerke ondersteun ’n afwaartse uittrekselbenadering tot evaluering wat skenkers se verslagdoeningsbehoeftes en belange bevredig, maar nie die werklike impak van intervensies vasvang nie en begunstigdes van hulle stem ontneem, hulle objektiveer en ontmagtig (Khumalo, 2022; Masvaure & Motlanthe, 2022). Die Evalueringsvereniging van Afrika (AfrEA) se antwoord hierop is Made in Africa-evaluering (MAE) – ’n benadering wat uit programdeelnemers se oogpunt evalueringspraktyk kontekstualiseer en sukses meet. Om ’n gemeenskaplike begrip en konsekwente toepassing van MAE te bewerkstellig, het AfrEA ’n stel praktykbeginsels gepubliseer (AfrEA, 2021). Nietemin is dit onduidelik in watter mate hierdie beginsels met die huidige MAE-literatuur deur deelnemende navorsers en praktisyns strook, en hoe doeltreffend dit evalueerders se implementeringswerk ondersteun. Daarbenewens is daar tot dusver weinig navorsing onderneem oor wat die implementering van MAE in die praktyk vir evalueerders beteken om steeds aan die behoeftes en verwagtinge van alle belanghebbendes in die evalueringsekosisteem te voldoen. Om die evalueerder se rol in die bevordering van MAE te ondersoek, onderneem ek sowel ’n teoretiese as ’n empiriese studie. Met behulp van ’n integrerende literatuuroorsig ontleed ek 42 dokumente oor MAE en sintetiseer ek die kerntemas wat daaruit na vore kom. Daarna karteer ek hierdie dominante temas aan die hand van AfrEA se praktykbeginsels om te bepaal in watter mate die twee met mekaar strook. Hierdie ontleding dui op onopgeloste spanning binne MAE, veral wat betref die konstruksie van ’n outentieke Afrikapraktyk, die erkenning van identiteit en posisionaliteit, die versekering van ware deelname en billike verteenwoordiging, en die verspreiding van inheemse kennis vir MAE. Boonop dui die ontleding op evalueerders se kernrol om die praktyk van onder af op te bou. Vir die empiriese studie gebruik ek ’n deelnemende benadering om gesamentlik ’n MAE-raamwerk te skep vir twee jeugontwikkelingsprogramme wat deur ’n NRO in die landelike gebiede van KwaZulu-Natal, Suid-Afrika, bedryf word. Ek versamel data deur middel van semigestruktureerde onderhoude, fokusgroepe en waarnemings. Hierdie ondersoek bring aan die lig dat die evalueerder in die toepassing van ’n MAE-benadering ’n veel groter rol as gewoonlik vervul: Die evalueerder se rol behels onder meer die aktiewe fasilitering van samewerking tussen kernbelanghebbendes, en om verder as individue te kyk en eerder ’n impak-ekosisteem te oorweeg om sodoende getrou te bly aan programbegunstigdes se ervaring op voetsoolvlak. Daarbenewens, aangesien daar geen ‘een-pas-almal’-benadering is nie, moet die evalueerder ook gemeenskapslede aktief betrek by die gesamentlike skep van ’n evalueringsraamwerk wat so goed moontlik by hulle waardes, doelwitte en realiteite pas. Die navorsing lewer drie algemene bydraes op. Eerstens vervul die evalueerder ’n kernrol om te sorg dat die ideale van MAE in praktyk omgeskakel word, en dus is daar ’n behoefte om hierdie rol in die implementeringsproses verder te konseptualiseer. Tweedens moet MAE-evalueerders verder as die bestaande gestandaardiseerde evalueringsmaatstawwe en -raamwerke kyk en eerder hulle relasionele en transformerende bevoegdhede gebruik om hulle evaluerings by die konteks aan te pas. Derdens en laastens kan evalueerders gesprek en gespreksruimtes gebruik om alle belanghebbendes se behoeftes en prioriteite met mekaar te versoen en evalueringsraamwerke suksesvol met ’n MAE-benadering te belyn. Masters 2023-11-22T17:29:22Z 2024-02-20T11:46:45Z 2023-11-22T17:29:22Z 2024-02-20T11:46:45Z 2023-12 Thesis https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/129442 en_ZA Stellenbosch University 107 pages : illustrations, includes annexures application/pdf Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| spellingShingle | Sustainable development -- Africa Community-Based Evaluation -- Africa Methodology -- Evaluation -- Africa UCTD Murgatroyd, Amy From principles to practice : exploring the role of the evaluator in implementing a made in Africa evaluation approach |
| title | From principles to practice : exploring the role of the evaluator in implementing a made in Africa evaluation approach |
| title_full | From principles to practice : exploring the role of the evaluator in implementing a made in Africa evaluation approach |
| title_fullStr | From principles to practice : exploring the role of the evaluator in implementing a made in Africa evaluation approach |
| title_full_unstemmed | From principles to practice : exploring the role of the evaluator in implementing a made in Africa evaluation approach |
| title_short | From principles to practice : exploring the role of the evaluator in implementing a made in Africa evaluation approach |
| title_sort | from principles to practice exploring the role of the evaluator in implementing a made in africa evaluation approach |
| topic | Sustainable development -- Africa Community-Based Evaluation -- Africa Methodology -- Evaluation -- Africa UCTD |
| url | https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/129442 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT murgatroydamy fromprinciplestopracticeexploringtheroleoftheevaluatorinimplementingamadeinafricaevaluationapproach |