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ERIC Number: EJ1310050
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2021-Oct
Pages: 11
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1863-9690
EISSN: N/A
Illustrating the Need for a 'Theory of Change' in Implementation Processes
Jankvist, Uffe Thomas; Gregersen, Rikke Maagaard; Lauridsen, Sine Duedahl
ZDM: Mathematics Education, v53 n5 p1047-1057 Oct 2021
The purpose of this study is to present the need for stakeholders to share an agreed-on Theory of Change (ToC) during the various phases of an implementation process. To this end, we draw on the Swedish Boost for Mathematics (BM), a large-scale national educational initiative, and its intrinsic 'algebra' instructional module. More precisely, we analyze a cohort of official evaluation reports on the BM from the perspective of a critical case study. The BM's embedded algebra module and its associated material offer an instrumental example. This analysis relies on a selection of theoretical constructs related to Implementation Research (IR), such as (educational) innovation, value, stakeholders, degree of merit, policy dimension, theory-driven evaluation, and ToC. These theoretical constructs derive from both general IR and mathematics education research. We identify four phases of implementation, based on the analyses of the BM, namely, policy and organization, development, implementation, and evaluation. The analyses illustrate the need for alignment among these phases, associated with the endorsed, enacted, recognized and applied ToC of stakeholders. As a critical example, BM illustrates the many pitfalls of large-scale, scaled-up educational innovations--one of these being the potential failure of evaluations--owing to lack of an agreed-on ToC.
Springer. Available from: Springer Nature. One New York Plaza, Suite 4600, New York, NY 10004. Tel: 800-777-4643; Tel: 212-460-1500; Fax: 212-460-1700; e-mail: customerservice@springernature.com; Web site: https://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2123/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Sweden
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A