Seeking the "Most typical change" ??

[rick davies]

Hi all

Leanne Kelly has forwarded on to me a query raised by her and her colleagues, which I think will be of wider interest, and which may prompt you to share your thoughts

"....We were actually just having a discussion in our M&E CoP at xxx yesterday about MSC and whether it can be used to find out the 'most typical change'. Knowing that isn't the intention of the methodology, in some settings, e.g. my old work in family services, we were aware of the extreme stories but wanted to know what families felt was the typical outcome of working with us. ...[if this is possible]...  I think this just means that MSC has an even broader applicability when it suits situations to measure more typical change through a participatory process. Interested in your thoughts ...." (Some text has been removed)

1. While it is true that when asking MSC questions we are seeking the extreme rather than the average experience, another way of viewing the response is that people are also telling us about their most valued experience (which could be positively or negatively valued). So, let's not be scared off by the notion of extreme.

2. Content analysis of a full set of MSC stories is one way of identifying the relative prevalence of different kinds of MSC stories, including the modal type of story (=most common). That full set of stories may come from a "snapshot" collection of MSC stories from a wide range of participants, and covering one reference period. Or it may come from a sequence of MSC inquiries over a number of periods of time, probably from a smaller range of people. The first is more likely in an "evaluation" context, the latter more likely in a "monitoring" context. Content analysis of the latter set of MSC stories would I think deliver answers  to a question like "what is the "most typical" change?"

3. That said, I think there have been examples where the MSC selection process, using a selection panel of one kind or another, have found themselves trying to select the "most typical" or "most representative" change. Or at least being asked to do so. I think this is misguided, because there is no evidence present that is sufficient to let them draw such conclusions. At best their conclusions will be about what changes they would like to see as most typical or most common, i.e. their choice is  an expression of ambition or purpose, not of actual achievement

4. But that said also, there should always be room for experiment. Have people tried asking about the "most typical" change, and what was the result?. Was the answer in the form of a generalized description or a specific instance? The latter would be more persuasive and verifiable, as a good conventional MSC answer will be. Your thoughts please...:-)

best wishes, rick davies

Rick Davies (Dr), Monitoring and Evaluation Consultant, Cambridge, United Kingdom | UK. Websites: http://www.mande.co.uk  and http://richardjdavies.wordpress.com/ | Twitter: @MandE_NEWS | rick....@gmail.com Skype: rickjdavies

Some publications:

UK Evaluation Society Webinar: "Evaluating the Future" 3rd February 2021 https://vimeo.com/513595538  pw: b4y9Wr02

EU Evaluation Support Services Unit, "Evaluating the Future". Podcast and paper , June 2020