Technical Note: Formative Research to Inform Social and Behavior Change Programming Design
- May 29
- 2 min read
Updated: Jun 21
Published By: USAID Advancing Nutrition
Publication Date: December 2023
This document shares considerations for planning formative research within USAID Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (BHA)-funded Resilience and Food Security Activities (RFSAs) within the Refinement period. Formative research plans in this period typically aim to generate practical and timely findings across multiple studies to fill information gaps and guide the design of social and behavior change (SBC) programming.
SBC is the systematic application of iterative, theory-based, and research-driven processes and strategies for promoting change at the individual, community, and society levels.
This resource and the description above were developed by the amazing communications and knowledge management team of USAID Advancing Nutrition, and are provided here with thanks to the Internet Archive project's Wayback Machine.
About this Resource
This resource is focused on formative research to inform social and behavior change (SBC) programming and discusses methods such as behavioral analysis and processes for SBC.
In this Technical Note you will find:
Tips for Formative Research
Guidance for how to articulate a problem statement
Suggestions for preparing a research justification
Advice for developing research questions and selecting research methods
Resources for how to describe data management and analysis methods
A tool for developing a preliminary results application plan
Advice for describing ethical considerations, team composition and roles, and deliverables
A checklist for developing a Research Protocol or Scope/Statement of Work
A list of additional resources for formative research for SBC design
A tool to guide how you might of findings of your research to SBC program design
Riley's Contribution
Riley supported this deliverable of USAID Advancing Nutrition as a thought leader and technical writer. She collaborated with a team of experts in formative research design to develop each section of the guidance.
Other contributors included Lisa Sherburne (USAID Advancing Nutrition), Akriti Singh(USAID Advancing Nutrition), Mike Manske (USAID Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance).
Project Information & Citation
About USAID Advancing Nutrition
USAID Advancing Nutrition is the Agency’s flagship multi-sectoral nutrition project, led by JSI Research & Training Institute, Inc. (JSI), and a diverse group of experienced partners. Launched in September 2018, USAID Advancing Nutrition implements nutrition interventions across sectors and disciplines for USAID and its partners. The project’s multi-sectoral approach draws together global nutrition experience to design, implement, and evaluate programs that address the root causes of malnutrition. Committed to using a systems approach, USAID Advancing Nutrition strives to sustain positive outcomes by building local capacity, supporting behavior change, and strengthening the enabling environment to save lives, improve health, build resilience, increase economic productivity, and advance development.
Recommended Citation
USAID Advancing Nutrition. 2023. Technical Note: Formative Research to Inform Social and Behavior Change Programming Design. Arlington, VA: USAID Advancing Nutrition.
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