Exploring Evaluation Capacity Building in Community-Based Health Organizations in India: What Works and Why

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Title: Exploring Evaluation Capacity Building in Community-Based Health Organizations in India: What Works and Why
Language: English
Authors: Satlaj Surendra Dighe
Source: ProQuest LLC. 2021Ph.D. Dissertation, University of Minnesota.
Availability: ProQuest LLC. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway, P.O. Box 1346, Ann Arbor, MI 48106. Tel: 800-521-0600; Web site: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml
Peer Reviewed: N
Page Count: 197
Publication Date: 2021
Document Type: Dissertations/Theses - Doctoral Dissertations
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Capacity Building, Affordances, Barriers, Community Health Services, Program Evaluation, Leadership Responsibility
Geographic Terms: India
ISBN: 979-85-355-8302-0
Abstract: This research explored evaluation capacity building (ECB) needs and strategies, as well as facilitators and barriers experienced by program staff and independent evaluators working with community-based health organizations (CBHOs) in India. It suggests a significant shift from donor-led to CBHO-led evaluation practice in the community health sector of India. CBHOs, however, have limited access to evaluation training, resources, and macro-level evaluation infrastructure. The overall purpose of the study was to understand how CBHOs in India build their capacity to conduct evaluations and use evaluation results in guiding program planning and improvement. This was explored with the following questions: 1) what are the internal and external contexts driving the need to engage in ECB? 2) what strategies and approaches are viewed by the organizations as most important in bringing about evaluation capacity in Indian CBHOs? and 3) what, according to the leadership of these organizations, enables or obstructs the process of ECB? To answer these questions, the study conducted semi-structured, in-depth interviews with twenty-three (23) CBHO employees and seven (7) independent evaluators. The interview data were analyzed using constant comparative analysis, which aided in identifying themes across the data. The results of the analysis demonstrate that CBHOs build their evaluation capacity by embedding ECB in program structures, facilitating on-the-job training, and building a support network of evaluation experts to guide their ECB efforts. The study also observed that organizations committed to developing evaluation capacity are intentional about organizational learning and seek to establish peer learning structures and create learning opportunities for their employees. In addition, senior leadership in such organizations demonstrates support of evaluation by facilitating on-the-job capacity building, securing adequate funds for evaluation, and creating a democratic work culture that encourages critical thinking. On the other hand, short project timelines, shifting donor priorities, limited government interest in following evidence-informed policy, and resource constraints hinder the use of evaluation and negatively affect organizations' interest in ECB. The senior-level program staff indicated a need to build critical thinking capacities at CBHOs to enhance ECB processes. Entry-level staff expressed their interest in learning evaluation skills and methods to implement internal evaluations. The experiences of grassroots health workers suggest limited access to evaluation training, resources, and support structures. The availability of evaluation training seminars, resource persons, and other support material is limited at regional locations and in regional languages, highlighting an urgent need for decentralized and culturally responsive ECB interventions. This research adds to the literature by identifying needs, strategies, and both facilitating and impeding factors for developing evaluation capacity at CBHOs. CBHOs can use this information to design and implement ECB interventions. The study can be helpful for government, institutes of higher education, and international donor and development organizations as they create ECB resources and provide effective support to grassroots ECB initiatives. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2025
Access URL: https://gateway.proquest.com/openurl?url_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:dissertation&res_dat=xri:pqm&rft_dat=xri:pqdiss:28644100
Accession Number: ED668823
Database: ERIC
FullText Text:
  Availability: 0
Header DbId: eric
DbLabel: ERIC
An: ED668823
AccessLevel: 3
PubType: Dissertation/ Thesis
PubTypeId: dissertation
PreciseRelevancyScore: 0
IllustrationInfo
Items – Name: Title
  Label: Title
  Group: Ti
  Data: Exploring Evaluation Capacity Building in Community-Based Health Organizations in India: What Works and Why
– Name: Language
  Label: Language
  Group: Lang
  Data: English
– Name: Author
  Label: Authors
  Group: Au
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Satlaj+Surendra+Dighe%22">Satlaj Surendra Dighe</searchLink>
– Name: TitleSource
  Label: Source
  Group: Src
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="SO" term="%22ProQuest+LLC%22"><i>ProQuest LLC</i></searchLink>. 2021Ph.D. Dissertation, University of Minnesota.
– Name: Avail
  Label: Availability
  Group: Avail
  Data: ProQuest LLC. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway, P.O. Box 1346, Ann Arbor, MI 48106. Tel: 800-521-0600; Web site: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml
– Name: PeerReviewed
  Label: Peer Reviewed
  Group: SrcInfo
  Data: N
– Name: Pages
  Label: Page Count
  Group: Src
  Data: 197
– Name: DatePubCY
  Label: Publication Date
  Group: Date
  Data: 2021
– Name: TypeDocument
  Label: Document Type
  Group: TypDoc
  Data: Dissertations/Theses - Doctoral Dissertations
– Name: Subject
  Label: Descriptors
  Group: Su
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Foreign+Countries%22">Foreign Countries</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Capacity+Building%22">Capacity Building</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Affordances%22">Affordances</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Barriers%22">Barriers</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Community+Health+Services%22">Community Health Services</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Program+Evaluation%22">Program Evaluation</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Leadership+Responsibility%22">Leadership Responsibility</searchLink>
– Name: Subject
  Label: Geographic Terms
  Group: Su
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22India%22">India</searchLink>
– Name: ISBN
  Label: ISBN
  Group: ISBN
  Data: 979-85-355-8302-0
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Abstract
  Group: Ab
  Data: This research explored evaluation capacity building (ECB) needs and strategies, as well as facilitators and barriers experienced by program staff and independent evaluators working with community-based health organizations (CBHOs) in India. It suggests a significant shift from donor-led to CBHO-led evaluation practice in the community health sector of India. CBHOs, however, have limited access to evaluation training, resources, and macro-level evaluation infrastructure. The overall purpose of the study was to understand how CBHOs in India build their capacity to conduct evaluations and use evaluation results in guiding program planning and improvement. This was explored with the following questions: 1) what are the internal and external contexts driving the need to engage in ECB? 2) what strategies and approaches are viewed by the organizations as most important in bringing about evaluation capacity in Indian CBHOs? and 3) what, according to the leadership of these organizations, enables or obstructs the process of ECB? To answer these questions, the study conducted semi-structured, in-depth interviews with twenty-three (23) CBHO employees and seven (7) independent evaluators. The interview data were analyzed using constant comparative analysis, which aided in identifying themes across the data. The results of the analysis demonstrate that CBHOs build their evaluation capacity by embedding ECB in program structures, facilitating on-the-job training, and building a support network of evaluation experts to guide their ECB efforts. The study also observed that organizations committed to developing evaluation capacity are intentional about organizational learning and seek to establish peer learning structures and create learning opportunities for their employees. In addition, senior leadership in such organizations demonstrates support of evaluation by facilitating on-the-job capacity building, securing adequate funds for evaluation, and creating a democratic work culture that encourages critical thinking. On the other hand, short project timelines, shifting donor priorities, limited government interest in following evidence-informed policy, and resource constraints hinder the use of evaluation and negatively affect organizations' interest in ECB. The senior-level program staff indicated a need to build critical thinking capacities at CBHOs to enhance ECB processes. Entry-level staff expressed their interest in learning evaluation skills and methods to implement internal evaluations. The experiences of grassroots health workers suggest limited access to evaluation training, resources, and support structures. The availability of evaluation training seminars, resource persons, and other support material is limited at regional locations and in regional languages, highlighting an urgent need for decentralized and culturally responsive ECB interventions. This research adds to the literature by identifying needs, strategies, and both facilitating and impeding factors for developing evaluation capacity at CBHOs. CBHOs can use this information to design and implement ECB interventions. The study can be helpful for government, institutes of higher education, and international donor and development organizations as they create ECB resources and provide effective support to grassroots ECB initiatives. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]
– Name: AbstractInfo
  Label: Abstractor
  Group: Ab
  Data: As Provided
– Name: DateEntry
  Label: Entry Date
  Group: Date
  Data: 2025
– Name: URL
  Label: Access URL
  Group: URL
  Data: <link linkTarget="URL" linkTerm="https://gateway.proquest.com/openurl?url_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:dissertation&res_dat=xri:pqm&rft_dat=xri:pqdiss:28644100" linkWindow="_blank">http://gateway.proquest.com/openurl?url_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:dissertation&res_dat=xri:pqm&rft_dat=xri:pqdiss:28644100</link>
– Name: AN
  Label: Accession Number
  Group: ID
  Data: ED668823
PLink https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=eric&AN=ED668823
RecordInfo BibRecord:
  BibEntity:
    Languages:
      – Text: English
    PhysicalDescription:
      Pagination:
        PageCount: 197
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Foreign Countries
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Capacity Building
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Affordances
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Barriers
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Community Health Services
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Program Evaluation
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Leadership Responsibility
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: India
        Type: general
    Titles:
      – TitleFull: Exploring Evaluation Capacity Building in Community-Based Health Organizations in India: What Works and Why
        Type: main
  BibRelationships:
    HasContributorRelationships:
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Satlaj Surendra Dighe
    IsPartOfRelationships:
      – BibEntity:
          Dates:
            – D: 01
              M: 01
              Type: published
              Y: 2021
          Identifiers:
            – Type: isbn-print
              Value: 979-85-355-8302-0
          Titles:
            – TitleFull: ProQuest LLC
              Type: main
ResultId 1