ABSTRACT
The previous chapters have investigated the relationship between social inclusion and community sport in the context of Flanders and discussed the relevance of approaches based on theories of change and programme theory in researching and developing effective community sport practices to achieve desired social outcomes among marginalised youths. In this chapter, we illustrate the emergence and relevance of such a methodology by critically evaluating the evolution of different approaches to monitoring and evaluation (M&E), and their relevance to sport for development (SfD) and their limitations. We start by examining the ‘black box’ approach to M&E which emphasised outcome measurement with a limited understanding of the nature of programmes which produced such outcomes. We then discuss the use of descriptive logic models, which identify the components of programmes, as a framework for evaluation but are based on unexplained/assumed causal relationships. Next, we illustrate the Aspen Institute’s theory of change approach and Weiss’s use of a combination of implementation and programme theory, which seek to identify the processes and inner workings of programmes. Finally, we examine the realist generative approach to evaluation based on a context-mechanism-outcome framework and reflect on its implications for the future on M&E in SfD.
