Constructing Excellent Initial Programme Theories-Online
June 27th-28th & July 1st-2nd, 2024
This four-day workshop is designed to help participants construct excellent ‘initial programme theories’ (IPTs) for projects using realist methodology. An IPT is a causal statement about a programme’s strategy and is often shaped as an ‘if…then’ formulation. Developing capacity for initial programme theorizing is fundamental to realist inquiry in terms of protocol development, data collection and analysis.
Learn to differentiate between poorly and well articulated generative causal theory statements;
Gain understanding of the difference between generative versus successionist causal statements;
Develop rival theories to improve objectivity;
Practice constructing initial programme theories in line with the realist principle of retroduction;
Construct initial programme theories suitable for testing against empirical evidence;
Explore how to use middle-range theories in the process of initial programme theorizing.