This four-day workshop examines the fundamentals of realist evaluation and synthesis and is designed to help participants develop their skill for recognizing the observable and hidden forces that produce outcomes in complex interventions.

Participants will explore the advantages and challenges of using this methodology in evaluating or synthesizing evidence - to move past the question of ‘was it successful?’ to better understand how, for whom, and under what circumstances interventions produce their particular outcomes.

This workshop is suitable for those new to the methodology or who are contemplating how it could be used, as well as those who are currently working on realist projects.

Content includes:

• overview of principles pertaining to realist methodology
• definition of ‘context’ ‘mechanism’ and ‘outcome’ for CMO configuring
• approach to developing initial programme theories
• approach to incorporating middle-range theories
• practical steps for data collection and analysis

The workshop will involve didactic teaching as well as small group discussion and workshop exercises. A reading list including key literature on realist methodology will be provided for further study.

Dates and times

This course will be delivered online and takes place over four sessions:

Course capacity: Maximum number of participants is 18

Eligibility: University of Bath staff and postgraduate students are eligible to apply

Our Facilitator

Justin Jagosh is the Director for the Centre for Advancement in Realist Evaluation and Synthesis (CARES), Visiting Professor at the University of the West of England and a Research Fellow at the University of Surrey. Previously he served at the University of Liverpool as Senior Research Fellow (2013-2017) and Honorary Research Associate (2017-2021).

As a trainer in the realist approach, Justin delivers an extensive portfolio of realist methodology training workshops throughout the year, including beginner and advanced courses, an annual summer school and an annual training conference. He has been involved in numerous research contracts involving Realist Methodology. This includes the NIHR-funded RAMESES II project to develop quality and reporting guidelines for Realist Evaluation.

Prior to 2013, Justin held a Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Postdoctoral Fellowship at McGill University (Montreal) and led a large realist review and evaluation to study the impact of academic-community partnerships in Community-Based Participatory Research.