This dissertation reports on a formative theory-based evaluation of the non-academic component of the Bridging Year Programme (BYP) implemented by the South African Education and Environment Project (SAEP), a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) working mainly in the impoverished community of Phillipi near Cape Town, South Africa. The focus of the evaluation was: (1) to extract the underlying assumptions of the non-academic component of the BYP, (2) to assess the plausibility of the underlying programme assumptions and (3) to develop an outcome monitoring framework for the non-academic component of the BYP. The Bridging Year Programme Description This programme recruits learners from poor socio-economic backgrounds who have gained a National Senior Certificate (NSC) at bachelors pass level but have not gained access to their tertiary level programmes of choice. Its aim is two-fold, (1) to assist learners to improve their NSC standard in order to gain access to their tertiary education programme of choice and (2) to provide them with personal development skills to cope with the academic and social demands of tertiary education. The assumption is that if the learners' personal development skills are enhanced their prospects of success in tertiary education and the employment market will be improved. Thus, the programme comprises an academic component and a non-academic (personal development) component. The scope of this evaluation focused specifically on the non-academic component of the BYP. Background A review of local and international bridging courses found that most students from poor socio-economic backgrounds are underprepared to cope with the social and academic workload of tertiary education, leading to high tertiary-dropout rates. A number of programme evaluations found that if students are provided with a set of non-academic (personal development) skills including planning and organising, prioritising their workload and English literacy skills, they will be better prepared to cope with the academic demands, thus improving their prospects of success at tertiary institutions.

Inclusive education programmes aim to include children with disabilities in mainstream schools by providing quality education in a barrier-free environment. These programmes are especially necessary in developing countries, where about one-third of all children have some sort of disability. Sustainable Development Goal 4 of education for all cannot be reached when these children are left out from schooling. The following dissertation presents the findings of an implementation evaluation of an inclusive education programme in Ethiopia. The programme, One Class for All (OCFA), is financed by Light for the World, an international non-government organization (NGO), and implemented by 14 Ethiopian partner organisations. A descriptive evaluation design combining qualitative and quantitative elements was used to examine typical Light for the World programmes as delivered by partners and as they appear on the ground. The data collection mainly involved interviews of partners and participants at selected schools in Ethiopia and a survey of all implementing partners. The evaluation indicated that the composition of implementing partners and their capacity in terms of content knowledge and collaborations are working well. We nevertheless highlight some high-level opportunities to improve the inclusive education programme of Light for the World. More structured development plans for each school are required, and a better connection between Light for the World`s community-based-rehabilitation (CBR) programmes and its inclusive education programmes is necessary to support entry to school for persons with disabilities. Under these overall findings, a more structured teacher training programme, better selection of teachers, and better local networking and targeted awareness raising programmes are also needed. This evaluation contributes to the limited literature on successful inclusive education programmes in developing countries.

Background The CoolPlay youth development programme (CYDP) is an after-school sport-for development (SFD) programme with an integrated social-emotional learning (SEL) component delivered to schools in low-income communities in Cape Town, South Africa. The CYDP is implemented by CoolPlay, an SFD organisation funded by the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation. The aim is to provide youth with pro-social after-school activities that equip them with the social-emotional competence fundamental to becoming responsible and socially engaged citizens. The main programme stakeholders include the CoolPlay board of trustees, an operations manager, four area managers and 26 sport and SEL coaches (Champions). In 2018, I was appointed as a monitoring and evaluation (M&E) intern within the organisation. In my capacity as an M&E intern, I conducted an evaluability assessment (EA), which determined the scope and approach of the evaluation for this dissertation. Evaluation Focus The objective of the evaluation was to determine: (a) whether or not the CYDP can realistically produce the intended outcomes, and (b) the extent to which the programme is implemented in line with quality parameters identified in the literature. As such, a theory evaluation and a process evaluation were conducted sequentially to address the following evaluation questions: 1. What is the theory and logic underlying the CYDP design? 2. Is the programme theory and logic plausible? 3. What elements of the CYDP theory could be modified to maximise intended outcomes? 4. Do the Champions implement the CoolPlay sport sessions with sufficient quality? 5. What contextual factors may be influencing the implementation of the CoolPlay sport sessions? 6. Are the Champions adequately trained to deliver the CoolPlay sport sessions? 7. Is there adequate organisational support in place to facilitate implementation of CoolPlay sport sessions? Methodology The evaluator used Donaldson's (2007) five-step procedure for constructing and assessing the programme theory. An initial programme theory was constructed using programme documentation and focus group data derived from a purposive sample of seven programme stakeholders (evaluation question 1). The plausibility of the initial programme theory was assessed by means of an extensive literature review (evaluation question 2). The programme theory was critically reconstructed using Brouselle and Champagne's (2011) logic analysis procedure (evaluation question 3). The process evaluation used a combination of quantitative and qualitative data collection, analysis, and integration methods (concurrent mixed methods design). An observational rating scale was administered to a convenience sample of 16 Champions during a routine observation session conducted by area managers to address evaluation question 4. A purposive sample of three area managers and a stratified randomised sample of four Champions participated in interviews to elicit the contextual factors influencing implementation (evaluation question 5), the adequacy of Champion training (evaluation question 6) and the adequacy of programme support functions (evaluation question 7). The operations manager also provided qualitative input on the adequacy of programme support functions through an interview. The qualitative data was analysed using Braun and Clarke (2006)'s procedure for thematic analysis. The interviews were supplemented by quantitative data derived from a mentor survey and an organisational survey completed by four Champions and five members of the programme management team, respectively. Key Findings and Conclusions The programme theory evaluation found that the initial programme theory and logic (evaluation question 1) is plausible, however effect sizes are likely to be low and programme effectiveness is highly dependent on developmentally appropriate content and structure, psychologically and physically safe programme environment, staff characteristics, parent/caregiver involvement, and youth participation and engagement (evaluation question 2 and 3). Preliminary insights derived from the EA suggest that the CYDP does not meet these quality parameters/requirements fully, thus highlighting the need for programme design and implementation improvement, as captured in the critically reconstructed programme theory (evaluation question 3). The process evaluation found deficiencies in implementation (evaluation question 4) linked to schools' commitment and capacity, parent/caregiver involvement, and youths' capacity to engage (evaluation question 5). Certain aspects of the training structure and content were found to be inadequate for developing all relevant competencies/skills, and poor Champion engagement was flagged as a critical issue (evaluation question 6). Implementation of the programme was further constrained by limited organisational capacity (evaluation question 7). These process evaluation findings confirm that the CYDP does not fully meet the programme quality parameters/requirements identified in the literature. Recommendations Key recommendations unpacked in this dissertation include the following: • Alignment of programme content with appropriate developmental milestones and unique interests of programme beneficiaries. It is recommended that the content is structured in a curriculum that follows the SAFE approach to SEL facilitation. • Provision of transport, nutrition, and first aid supplies and training, as well as implementation of strategies to address deviant behaviour to ensure that programme beneficiaries are physically and psychologically safe. • Efforts to hire, train and retain qualified Champions. These include adherence to documented selection criteria, a more comprehensive induction process, ongoing training and support including collaborative planning, debriefing and provision of mental health services. • Implementation of parental and teacher involvement strategies, such as invitation to CoolPlay meetings and workshops, distribution of newsletters, and provision of transport to and from CoolPlay events. • Implementation of M&E systems for participant enrolment, attendance, drop-out and engagement. • Allocation of resources toward securing qualified, full-time staff with experience in positive youth development. • Strengthening of programme quality before the CYDP is rolled out to additional sites, given that the programme has the potential to support both positive and negative developmental outcomes in youth.

Globally, there has been increased momentum in the implementation of parenting programmes. Such programmes have been noted to be effective, with positive outcomes being observed in the parents and their offspring or children they take care of. Most of the evaluations on parenting programmes have been conducted in developed countries, creating a need for further research on implementation processes and impact in low income countries. The current project was a theory and process evaluation on the Teen Parenting Programme (TPP) being offered by the Parent Centre in Cape Town, South Africa. Through group sessions, the programme teaches parenting and life skills to teenagers who are either biological parents or primary caregivers to younger children. The evaluation objective was to develop the programme theory, assess its plausibility and evaluate the programme's implementation fidelity. The study used exploratory and descriptive research designs to address the evaluation questions. The theory evaluation component adopted a theory-based approach, collecting data through workshops with programme staff and review of documents. The process evaluation made use of primary and secondary sources to collect quantitative and qualitative data. A survey questionnaire, focus group discussion guide, key informant interview guide and checklist were used to collect data. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics and qualitative data was analysed using thematic analysis. The findings indicated that (i) the TPP theory and underlying causal and process assumptions were plausible; (ii) the programme was reaching the target population and there were high attendance levels; (iii) there was implementation fidelity; and (iv) sufficient organisational support was being offered despite the prevailing financial challenges. As a plausible programme theory and high implementation fidelity are key components in ensuring programme success, the TPP was well positioned to be a successful programme. Such implementation fidelity findings indicated that the TPP had a higher likelihood of achieving its expected outcomes. The evaluation made recommendations essential in improving the few noted implementation shortcomings. A key limitation to the evaluation was that the views of the participants were not captured as access to interview them was limited. The study contributes to research on theory evaluation and implementation fidelity of teen parenting programmes in low-resource settings.

This dissertation reports on a formative evaluation of the initial implementation of the Waves for Change coach training programme. Waves for Change is a NPO that combines the sport of surfing with youth care work (what the organisation terms surf therapy) to provide psychological support to at-risk children. The individuals who provide the support (Coaches) are young adults who are employed and trained by the organisation to become youth care workers. Coaches attend a training programme designed by Waves for Change. There are three Coaching teams to reflect the three target communities of the organisation. The aim of this evaluation was to provide data on its implementation so as to improve its design and delivery. Due to the vulnerable nature of the surf therapy beneficiaries it was crucial for the evaluation to be flexible and to provide management with accurate and rapid feedback. The evaluator conducted a utilization-focused formative evaluation informed by a collaborative developmental approach. This meant that data were collected through well-suited methods throughout the evaluation term (February 2015 - October 2015) and, where appropriate, fed back to management for the purpose of remedying concerns. The Waves for Change programme theory was elicited by the evaluator and depicted in a usable format before its plausibility as well as key assumptions were investigated. The evaluator found the theory to be high in utility and plausibility. Following Chen's (2005) approach to formative evaluation, and in order to determine areas of the Coach Training programme on which the evaluation should focus, the evaluator worked with management to identify components deemed crucial to its delivery. These Crucial Components were identified as: the Implementing Organisation; the Programme Protocol; the Target Population; and Programme Implementation. The evaluator investigated Areas of Focus within each Crucial Component. For the Implementing Organisation component these were: Organisational Structure; Funding and Equipment. For the Programme Protocol component these were: the Coach Pathway, and Content of the programme. For the Target Population component: Eligibility Criteria and Recruitment Strategies; and Barriers to Retention and Strategies to address them, and finally, for the Programme Implementation component the focus was placed on Monitoring of the Coach programme. By the end of the evaluation the programme had shown development in several Areas of Focus. The organisation had addressed gaps in staff roles by employing people in key positions and in doing so had developed its organisational structure and improved its competence and cultural diversity. Funding had increased which meant that service delivery had been guaranteed for the next three years. The Coach pathway had become performance-based and due to retention strategies that now include incentives for improved performance Coaches' compliance and engagement had increased. The new pathway also created exit points for Coaches who were under-performing. Monitoring of the programme had developed in terms of revisions to the monitoring documentation and overall system which had led to improvements in data quality. Areas of concern were equipment and recruitment. An occasional lack of equipment meant that Coaches struggled to deliver services to child beneficiaries. Lax eligibility criteria and recruitment strategies meant that poor quality coaches were employed. This led to underperformance, misconduct and dissatisfaction among some of the Coaches and ultimately meant that four of the Coaches (all of whom were recruited through word-of-mouth) left the programme during the evaluation term. This led to one of the Coaching teams being all-female. Future programming needs to address these two areas very strongly as both could become a threat to the successful implementation of the Coach programme as well as the surf therapy programme. Ongoing monitoring of data quality, compulsory requirements to work with children (e.g., first aid and checking against the Child Protection Register) and levels of coach satisfaction are strongly recommended.

The Qhubeka! Youth Development Programme is the first programme launched by the NonProfit Company (NPC), Just Grace, in 2012. The organisation is implementing five community programmes: (1) School strengthening; (2) Community development; (3) Business support; Community projects; and (5) Youth development programme in the Langa township, Cape Town, South Africa. The Qhubeka! Youth Development Programme is not a typical Positive Youth Development programme (PYD). It offers academic support that is not typical of PYD's. They tend to focus on cultivating proficiencies and other life skills and therefore can be fitted in with After-School Programmes (ASP), which focuses on cultivating learning outcomes. The overall goal of the youth development programme is to enable under-resourced youth to escape the cycle of poverty and equip them to become meaningfully involved in society through further education and employment. The programme aims to develop technical and soft skills in high school learners by focusing on study assistance and psychosocial support. The Qhubeka! Programme provides comprehensive material and guidance over four years. Activities of the programme include (1) academic support; (2) computer training; (3) coding and programming; (4) book club; (5) life skills; (6) career guidance; (7) holiday programme; and (8) psychosocial support. The objective of the evaluation was to assess the performance of the programme in reaching its short-term outcomes and the quality of service delivery. I used primary and secondary data to conduct the evaluation. I collected primary data through semi structured one-on-one interviews with the Qhubeka! Programme learners and programme facilitators. Secondary data, I obtained through the review of the programme documents. I used a thematic inductive content analysis to analyse data. The findings on the evaluation of short term outcomes indicate that the programme achieved its desired short-term outcomes and that the programme was implemented with quality. This was the first evaluation of the Qhubeka! programme and provides programme staff with feedback on how well the programme is reaching its intended outcomes and being implemented with quality, which could guide them in making counteractive changes to improve delivery and impact. This study further contributes to the body of knowledge and evaluations of PYD programmes that incorporate academic support in the South African context of PYD programme.

The University of Cape Town (UCT), in collaboration with the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) and Middlesex University, London, has been requested by the SACTWU Worker Health Programme to design, implement and evaluate an intervention on workplace breastfeeding support for the clothing and textile industry. This study will form part of the bigger project and the results will be utilised in the planning and designing of an intervention on workplace breastfeeding support. Returning to formal employment has been identified as one of the leading barriers to exclusive and continued breastfeeding, especially among women working in low-income jobs. Women working in low-income, low skilled jobs are often easily replaceable and have little bargaining power to request their breastfeeding rights. South Africa's clothing industry employs mostly black women, who hold low-income positions. Clothing factories tend to have rigid working conditions, which could make it difficult for mothers to continue with breastfeeding once they return to work. Few studies have been conducted of breastfeeding support in the workplace in South Africa and no studies were found of breastfeeding support in clothing factories in South Africa. There is a need for more studies to be conducted in workplaces in South Africa, especially in the clothing industry. International studies have found that workplace breastfeeding support interventions can contribute to increased breastfeeding prevalence rates in factories. To increase the rates of breastfeeding in clothing factories, a workplace breastfeeding support programme would need to be developed and implemented. Before designing an intervention, it is important to first conduct a needs assessment to determine whether there is a need for an intervention on workplace support for breastfeeding in the clothing and textile industry. The purpose of the needs assessment in this study was to determine whether there was a need for an intervention on workplace support for breastfeeding in the clothing and textile industry, and if so, what the nature and extent of the need was and the programme activities that were most suitable to address the need. A convergent parallel research design was adopted, which is also known as a mixed methods approach. Quantitative data was collected through a semi-structured survey that was administered to the employees at the factory. In addition, qualitative data was collected through interviews conducted with employees (mothers) and supervisors at the factory. There were various barriers in the factory that made it difficult for women to express breast milk at work, including a lack of time to express, a lack of proper breastfeeding facilities, a lack of information about mothers' breastfeeding and a lack of support from factory management, supervisors and co-workers. There was also a lack of awareness of the law regarding breastfeeding and there was no breastfeeding policy in place. The study found that there was a need for increased support to breastfeeding mothers in the factory, including the support from factory management, supervisors and co-workers, the provision of adequate breastfeeding facilities and breaks and the provision of information about mothers' breastfeeding to all employees. It is also important to develop a breastfeeding policy in the factory which provides clear guidelines on how to support breastfeeding women. According to the findings of the needs assessment, there is a need to design and implement an intervention on workplace support for breastfeeding, to enable women working in a clothing factory to continue breastfeeding when they return to work. The last chapter will include recommendations for the SACTWU Worker Health Programme to design and implement an intervention on workplace breastfeeding support for the clothing and textile industry. Although this study focused only on a single large factory, the basic principles can still be applied and adapted to other clothing factories.

This dissertation was an outcome evaluation of the Living Through Learning's Coronation Reading Adventure Room Programme. LTL's reading programme objectives include aspects of improving and developing English literacy in disadvantaged schools, teaching learners how to read and write and equipping teachers with the necessary skills to teach effectively. LTL also provides facilitators to offer assistance to the teachers in order to teach effectively in overcrowded classes. The main programme beneficiaries are teachers and grade one learners. This dissertation focuses on 18 schools in disadvantaged communities in Cape Town who received the literacy programme in 2015. Two evaluation questions were formulated, for the literacy programme. The first evaluation question focused on the learners and assessed whether or not the learners who were part of the CRAR programme were better off regarding literacy performance than they were before the programme. For the teacher characteristics, the evaluation question asked if the teachers' language teaching experience, English language proficiency, teaching self-efficacy, perceptions of usefulness of the LTL materials, and usage of the reading room had any influence on the learner's performance. Secondary data provided by LTL was utilised to answer the literacy programme evaluation question. The data included test scores of grade 1 learners from 18 different schools. Primary data was used for teacher's characteristics and this was done through a questionnaire sent out to the different teachers. Data analysis methods included descriptive statistics for the learners' assessments and inferential statistics for teacher characteristics. The results showed that learners who were part of the LTL programme showed improvement in assessment scores. All schools, except one, attained the realistic NGO (60%) standard in their reading assessments. Three schools attained the high standard (85%). Furthermore, all schools attained the 50% Curriculum Assessment Policy Statements standard in the CAPS based-assessments. Therefore, it can be concluded that the LTL programme successfully aided improvement of literacy skills of the learners who were part of the programme. In an analysis of teacher's characteristics, teacher experience in literacy was the only variable that significantly predicted learner performance in literacy. However, the results must be interpreted with caution; the absence of a comparison group makes it difficult to give all credit to the LTL programme alone. At this point I simply do not know whether it was only the programme that led to the improvement in literacy scores or whether other factors had an influence, or a joint influence in combination with the literacy programme (e.g. learners started reading more in their own time as a result of the programme).

Includes bibliographical references. / The South African retail industry is growing significantly and increasingly becoming an important contributor to the country's economic growth. The industry grew by 5.9 percent in 2011, in terms of sales, compared to 3.6 percent decline in 2009. According to figures provided by the Statistics South Africa (StatsSA), the industry contributed six percent to the entire South African economy and 23 percent towards total employment in the country. Despite the growing significance of the industry in the South African economy, the industry is still marred with chronic challenges of poor education and skills shortages. Major players in the industry indicated that these challenges are the main impediments to potential higher growth.

This dissertation reports on an outcome evaluation of The Shine Centre's literacy intervention, Literacy Hour. The Shine Centre is a South African non-governmental organisation that offers literacy support to Grade 2 and 3 learners at risk of reading failure. The programme takes the form of one-to-one or one-to-two tutoring. The learners who are chosen to participate in the Literacy Hour programme are selected based on their results in Shine's diagnostic assessment completed at the end of Grade 1. The selected students work with trained volunteers twice a week for an hour at a time. Each hour of the Literacy Hour programme is divided into four 15-minute components, namely: (a) paired reading, (b) shared reading, (c) have-a-go writing, and (d) wordplay. The evaluation design was a quasi-experimental, non-equivalent group design. The assignment into the experimental/intervention group and the control group was done by means of a sharp regression-discontinuity cut-off. The sample included six Centres and two Chapters in the Western Cape with complete data for the 2011 to 2013 cohort. Learner results were monitored using various assessment tools at the end of Grade 1 and during Grades 2 and 3. The two Shine diagnostic assessments, D1 and D2, tested the learners' literacy skills against the level that they should have acquired by that point in their school career. Additionally, the reading level assessments were used to determine the learners' actual reading level/age.