Your challenge is to develop and evaluate a Realist-informed, Ripple Effects Mapping protocol that is not only accessible, meaningful and inclusive for adolescents but also contributing to methodological innovation in participatory and evaluation research.
This protocol will be used in severel EC-funded projects, including SmartCHANGE (
SmartCHANGE) and YoPA (
Yopa – Youth-centred Participatory Action). SmartCHANGE aims to develop trustworthy AI-based digital health technologies to help health professionals and citizens reduce health risks. In the Netherlands and Finland, adolescents are involved in the co-design of a digital health application combined with a wearable device
focusing on improving their health behaviors. This application will be evaluated in a proof-of-principle study planned in the 3rd quartile of 2025. YoPA aims to optimally tailor, implement and evaluate social and physical environmental interventions using an evidence-informed co-creation approach, for structural improvement in the lifestyle of adolescents (aged 12–18 years) in urban vulnerable life situations in two European and two African cities.
You task is to develop an accessible, meaningful and inclusive participatory method to engage adolescents in the evaluation of co-designed interventions, building on the Ripple Effects Mapping and Realist Evaluation approaches.
These program theories are explored en refined via mixed methods data collection and evaluation.
Combining these two approaches - Realist-informed Ripple Effects Mapping – is novel and has the potential to elucidate not only the impact of interventions, but also the underlying causal mechanisms. Harris et al. [3] recently published a protocol for combining these two approaches. Among the challenges were the sustained need of motivation for collaboration among the involved (adult) stakeholders and the need to make these complexity and theory driven approaches accessible for a wider group of stakeholders.
Your specific responsibilities will be to:
- Write a step-by-step protocol for the realist-informed, ripple effects mapping protocol;
- Secure approval from Medical Ethical Committee;
- Collaborate with and coach the PhD researchers from the SmartCHANGE and YoPA projects to implement the developed evaluation protocol;
- Recruit adolescents for a “co-design challenge team” from the schools participating in SmartCHANGE in the Netherlands;
- Co-design participatory methods and activities for each step together with the co-design challenge team;
- Evaluate the co-designed Realist-informed, Ripple Effects Mapping protocol regarding accessibility, meaningfulness and inclusivity in the proof-of-principle study in SmartCHANGE;
- Publish a ready to use, youth-friendly Realist-informed Ripple Effects Mapping protocol Open Access;
- Contribute to education of BSc, MSC and PhD students.