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There has been increasing attention to the need for intervention research that co-creates knowledge with marginalized groups by including citizens and communities not only as sources of data, but also as analysts and interpreters of data (e.g., Flanagan, 2020; Lilly, 2023). Most Significant Change (MSC; Davies & Dart, 2003) is a qualitative technique that advances this goal by examining intervention impact from the community perspective with citizens themselves collecting and analyzing data—effectively democratizing the research process. The MSC method elicits reflections on change by asking respondents to tell a story in their own words about what changes occurred that were most meaningful to them and why they perceive those changes as important (Polet et al., 2015). There is especially strong evidence of MSC’s utility in research with marginalized communities and in low- and middle-income countries (e.g., Akatukwasa et al., 2023; Belaid et al., 2021; Budiawan et al., 2020), yet the MSC method remains largely unrecognized in social work research. This presentation shares findings from the MSC component of a mixed-method randomized controlled trial (RCT) in Zimbabwe and examines the added value of MSC for advancing rigorous, community-led inquiry.
Method
MSC was embedded within a cluster RCT evaluating a community-based intervention for trauma-affected youth in two Zimbabwean communities (one rural, one urban). Following established steps of MSC methodology (Dart & Davies, 2003), community members were trained on the MSC process, domains of change were established collaboratively, and caregivers of children participating in the intervention were identified as the reference group. Community members were trained to conduct 1:1 intervews with caregivers, and stories of change were audio recorded and transcribed in Shona and English. Data were analyzed by two focus groups made up of teachers of intervention participants following a training on the MSC method.
Results
Analysis by each teacher focus group yielded five stories of change deemed “most significant” from a community perspective. Stories of change from the rural community emphasized children becoming more emotionally resilient, including (1) taking responsibility, (2) becoming more engaged in school, (3) positively influencing other children, (4) solving problems and having more hope for the future, and (5) being more courageous. In the urban sample, most significant changes emphasized the children’s development of prosocial skills including (1) reflecting before acting, (2) creating less conflict in the home, (3) bravery in the face of bullying, (4) increased confidence, and (5) forgiveness and resilience. These community-defined changes both converged with and extended beyond the intervention’s target outcomes (self-esteem, self-efficacy, social support, hope, and self-calming ability) which were captured through standardized quantitative measures.
Conclusion and Implications