A quick overview of monitoring and evaluation

An important aspect of our work as trainers, youth workers and project managers is looking back on, reviewing and reflecting upon our work, as well as observing participants, understanding their needs and motivations, consulting with them and supporting them in their process of learning and empowerment. It is the way we constantly evaluate and inform our practice that allows us to measure the impact of our work (Hield, 2012). Reviewing, refection, debriefing, discussion, observation and consultation are all important processes in the way we use to analyse information in the process of evaluation.

Evaluation helps us to identify the extent to which our objectives have been met and if we’re on track with what we’re trying to achieve. It gives us a more holistic picture of our achievements by allowing us to recognize the added value of our work and the extent to which it has indeed benefited participants. It also helps us to plan better and use our resources more effectively: based on the feedback from the evaluation we can adapt the program/workshop, focus on the aspects that are really important and relevant, plan things differently and ultimately improve our training for future participants. Last, but not least, it provides answers to the following questions:

  • Have the real needs of beneficiaries been addressed?
  • Were there any (intended and unintended) changes in the lives of beneficiaries?
  • Has any modification in knowledge, attitudes and self-reported behaviours been achieved with regards to how beneficiaries can protect themselves from SGBV  ?
  • What impact has been made internally in our organization- i.e. capacity building of trainers, better planning of trainings, new strategies that may have been developed etc.

●  15.1. Formative and summative assessment

The difference between formative and summative assessment is reflected in Robert Stakes’ quote: “When the cook tastes the soup while cooking, that’s formative; when the guests taste the already finished soup, that’s summative”[1]

During formative evaluation we aim to maximize our learning process while our training is being conducted, thus we engage in  continuous review, ongoing analysis and drawing conclusions. Summative evaluation looks at the overall and final outcomes such as whether or not the objectives have been fulfilled; any achievements in learning; shifts in knowledge/attitudes/behaviours and stances; impact on organizational aspects and impact in a wider social context. This is also referred to as the final evaluation as it consists of drawing conclusions at the end of the process.

Creative methods of evaluation (such as drawing, non-verbal expression, theatrical improvisations, individual reflection, group sharing, symbolism etc.) come in handy when we want to provide the space for young people to express their needs, thoughts, concerns and ideas in alternative ways and in more depth. Other times, we may opt to use more ‘formal’ ways of evaluation such as questionnaires, structured or semi-structured feedback forms or focus group discussions following a pre-designed discussion guide. An important aspect to consider when deciding what evaluation methods to use (if of course there are no specific requirements under the program or set by the donor), is that in trainings where sensitive issues are discussed and some strong feelings may arise, young people may feel uncomfortable to revisit these feelings at the end of the training. In these cases, avoid the sharing of feelings as an evaluation tool but opt for various options that engage participants to share their feedback either in creative ways or in more structured forms like questionnaires. Verbalizing feelings can take place afterwards, as a second step to our evaluation, if we so wish as participants would have been given a chance to ‘ground’ their experience first.

Tips for choosing an evaluation method:

When selecting, designing and delivering evaluation activities it is important to consider the following questions:

  • Are there specific requirements by the program or the donor with regards to evaluation that we need to take into account?
  • Is there adequate time to run the evaluation? Does time availability provide the space to combine different types of evaluating activities?
  • Is the activity accessible and suitable for the individuals or group we are working with?
  • Does the activity address our objectives and will it provide the necessary feedback for us to understand that our objectives have been met?
  • Is the activity fun and engaging and will it instigate young people’s interest to participate in the evaluation process?
  • Does the activity produce information that is tangible and that can be collated, providing useable evidence?
  • Is the activity plausible? Can participants engage in it without difficulty or hesitation?
  • Is the activity flexible enough for young people to share thoughts that go beyond mainstream responses and that we normally didn’t expect to hear?
  • Is the activity unintimidating? Does everyone feel safe and comfortable to join in no matter what skills or previous experience they have?
  • Do we have required skills and are we feeling adequately confident to deliver the activity?

The method we choose does not necessarily have to address all the issues outlined above but it is important to consider all aspects of an evaluation technique in order to understand its strengths and limitations before we choose it. Moreover it is also useful to try to incorporate a variety of evaluation methods that provide young people with different communication styles and with equal opportunities to express their views, thoughts and feelings. If for instance we have decided we are going to give questionnaires to fill out, it is a good idea to combine them with other approaches as well: after participants fill in the questionnaires, invite them for a more inclusive sharing through group or individual reflection, theatrical improvisation etc.

No matter the methodology used, evaluation methods need to be thoroughly introduced in the same way we introduce all other activities of our training. It is important to explain to young people before the beginning what the evaluation activity is, its aim, why we have chosen it, what the purpose is for conducting it and especially what will be done with the results. This does not only provide an understanding of the framework in which evaluation is conducted; it also engages young people in the evaluation process.

●  15.2. Creative and fun ways to evaluate how the training went[2]

Evaluating impact often necessitates going beyond standard questionnaires and tick box forms as these techniques don’t naturally enable a deep level of imaginative thought or a complex recollection of events. Creative ways of evaluation can provide a fun, interactive and enjoyable space where young people can provide valuable feedback. Some creative evaluation methods can include:

Sharing of words

This can be done using a variety of ways such as:

  • Inviting young people stand in a circle, close to each other, with shoulders almost touching and expressing one word that reflects their overall feeling/impression/experience with the training.
  • Using a known song,  nursery rhyme, quote or poem, ask young people to complete the sentence/lyric.
  • By giving young people 5 words that are linked to the objectives of the training (such as for instance confidence, sex positive, relationships, learning and feelings) invite young people to write lyrics, and then perform a rap song, any other song or a poem that expresses their overall experiences during the training, based on the five words they have been given.
  • In a group setting, invite young people to share one word or one short sentence as an answer to different questions ‘thrown at the group’ by the trainer (to measure what young people have gained in terms of knowledge/skills/capacities, what they have particularly enjoyed or what they haven’t enjoyed that much)
  • Invite young people to create a graffiti of their words by writing some words that represent their experience on a large piece of paper that has been put up on the wall.

Voting by movement

  • Draw a large circle and give each of the participants in the group a small object. Invite them to place their object according to the degree of agreement with different statements you will read out, the centre of the circle representing ‘complete agreement’ and the edge being ‘complete disagreement’. You can then photograph the results, so you can keep a record of their responses.
  • A variation of the above activity is to invite young people to ‘vote with their feet’ and physically move into  the space, according to their degree of agreement with certain statements. The four corners of the room could  represent the responses ‘agree’, ‘neutral/neither agree or disagree’, ‘disagree’ and ‘don’t know/I’m not sure’.

Symbols

Symbols can provide an unintimidating stimulus that encourages young people to talk or write about their experiences during the training .The symbols are used as a rating system for evaluating the performance of certain aspects of the training process (such as knowledge gained, degree to which personal attitudes/behaviours have been re-evaluated, confidence building, knowledge about how young people can protect themselves from SGBV and other aspects such as satisfaction with the venue, the training duration and the content). Symbols to use can include:

  • Weather symbols (sunny, somewhat cloudy, cloudy, rain, thunderstorm)
  • Traffic lights (red, yellow, green)
  • Filling up a glass (empty, half full, completely full)
  • Thermometer (blue for cold/undesirable, purple for middle and red for hot/desirable)
  • Rainbow: choosing a colour from the rainbow and explaining how it is linked to their experience
  • Emojis
  • Using the palm and the five fingers to elaborate on their experience:  ‘What are you taking with you from the training’ (palm), ‘What did you like?'(thumb up), ‘What would you like to point out?'(pointing finger), “What was not OK?” (middle finger up), ‘What did you particularly treasure/appreciated? (ring finger) and ‘Something small I’d like to add’ (small finger). You can ask participants to complete this individually, by drawing their hand on a piece of paper and filling in their responses. You can then collect the different ‘hands’ and put together the different responses so you can get a more holistic snapshot of how the training went.  

Participants can write a comment on a post it under the symbol that represents their response to a specific question. For instance, under the question ‘which aspects of the training did you find most useful’, young people can use the sun symbol to explain what was the most useful aspect for them, the cloudy symbol to explain what was not so useful and the thunderstorm symbol to point out what they found as the least useful aspect. While you can set the meaning of the symbols beforehand, you can also allow young people to use their creativity in their personal interpretation of the symbols. Some people may interpret the rainy symbol as ‘cathartic’ or the half-full glass as a sign of optimism and hope.

Other symbols may also include abstract drawings such as for instance the ‘Dix-it’ cards. These can be used as symbolisms for participants to project their feelings which they can share (if they want to) in the group.

Acting it out

Using drama, improvisation, still images and movement can enable young people to express themselves in a more conceptual way than they may be comfortable to articulate verbally. By exploring their emotional response to a question through a physical (as opposed to a verbally articulated) process, young people are encouraged to think in new ways, and overcome social and cultural barriers to talking about feelings. Acting it out can be expressed through:

  • Creating still images individually to represent their feelings/thoughts
  • Creating a group ‘sculpture’ with their bodies, in order to represent their collective experience during the training
  • Making a movement to express how they felt for specific aspects of the training
  • Creating ‘machine-like movements’, where young people are invited one by one to express a movement about what they particularly enjoyed during the training. The first person stands in the middle of the circle and makes a movement over and over again, a second person stands next to them making their own movement over and over again, a third person stands next to the other two making their own movement so they all start forming a ‘machine’ together. One by one, the participants have a go until  all of them stand next to each other, making their own unique movements that together comprise the different parts of the whole.

Drawing

Drawing responses to key words, or representations of feelings, may provide  the space for young people to explore and understand what they experienced during the training less self-consciously and with more detail than if they were to try to articulate them in words. Drawing can be done in small groups, where groups can create a collective drawing of their experience or it can be done individually through the concept of a ‘map of experience’ or ‘journey’. 

Young people are invited to draw a map, a river, a path through a forest, a train ride or any other depiction of a journey, where they can map all the important aspects of their experiences during the training, any positive feelings, negative feelings and/or any other thoughts/emotions that come up for them when they reflect back on their ‘journey’ during this training process. 

●  15.3. Collecting and analysing feedback from single ad-hoc workshops online

  1. www.mentimeter.com, the open-ended slide),  the Whiteboard in Zoom or a google document/google doc for instance.

●  15.4. Self- reflection as a means of evaluation

Reflections provide the possibility to increase self-awareness through sharing feelings and insights that participants have gathered through the day or during a certain activity. While reflection is used during the debriefing of an activity, it is also very highly recommended at the end of the workshop when participants evaluate and reflect on the whole experience that they have gained.

Reflection has many benefits:

  • It enables participants to exchange experiences with other participants;
  • It allows participants to express their emotions and by doing this to become aware of them;
  • It allows participants to organize and structure the steam of ideas and suggestions;
  • It provides an opportunity to learn from others;
  • It helps facilitators to “keep in touch” with the group.

It is important that during reflection everyone has a chance to express their thoughts and feelings. The rest of the group listens without commenting, unless there are some questions they need to ask for clarification. The process of reflection might be quite sincere and intimate that’s why it is recommended to remind the group rules as well as to sit in a close circle. Trainers should be aware of those participants that usually tend to take more space than others, so as to ensure that all participants have enough time to speak. It is useful to specify how many minutes/sentences each of them has.

Reflection groups: Reflection groups provide the opportunity to get some more elaborate feedback on the activities and the group, provides the space for young people to share their feelings, reflect on their experience and their learnings, build on each other’s experiences and deepen their relations within the group. Participants are split in small groups according to the number of trainers or designated ‘reflection group facilitators’ ensuring that the groups are “balanced” as much as possible (in terms of gender, age, language etc.). The groups are encouraged to reflect on the training process, including: 

  • aspects of the training that were the most enjoyable
  • most useful experiences, 
  • what they feel they have learnt, 
  • feelings they have experienced,
  • capacities/skills they feel they are building 
  • issues that have been troubling/difficult, 
  • any concerns/fears, 
  • what was not so effective and needs to change etc.

The reflection group facilitator will  then share the feedback from the group with the training team, however always maintaining confidentiality and anonymity.

While reflection groups (as outlined above) represent the most commonly forms of reflection, self-reflection is also important. Self-reflection is usually done individually and does not involve sharing, unless there are participants who are very keen and prefer to share their thoughts with the group. Self-reflective techniques  can include:

Writing a letter to yourself:

Participants are asked to write a letter to themselves, mentioning how they felt during the training, what they gained, what new knowledge they have acquired, how they plan to use the things they have learned in their personal lives and what they will do differently from now on. They may write in their own language and what they write is totally between the participant and, well…themselves. This is a personal method and helps participants to become aware of what progress they made as a result of their participation, which they would not realize otherwise.

●  15.5. Trainers’ own self-reflection and self-evaluation

Often, as trainers we do not have time to reflect critically on our experiences in the training process. However, self-reflection and self-evaluation are essential parts of our own learning and it is important that we take the space and time to reflect on what we specifically feel has worked well and what has been challenging or difficult for us. Some ways we can engage in self-reflection and self-evaluation include:

  •  to note our reflections regarding the process, our concerns, resistances, difficulties/challenges but also our successes and achievements. It is also important to record participants’ reactions, and particularly the changes observed in participants’ knowledge, attitudes and stances. Essentially, journal writing needs to concentrate on thoughts, feelings, fears, desires and needs both of the trainer and the participants.

Sample questions to guide the trainer’s self-reflection could include:

  • This can be administered in the same way as the participants’ reflection groups, where one of the trainers acts as the moderator and the remaining trainers as the participants. Trainers have the opportunity to exchange experiences, provide feedback, acknowledge what has worked well, celebrate successes and support each other in aspects that can be challenging or difficult.
  • . Less experienced trainers can be matched with more experienced trainers who can provide them with guidance and support throughout the training process.

●  15.6. Structured qualitative ways of assessment

If there is adequate time for the evaluation process, more structured qualitative methods of assessment can be incorporated in order to collect more in-depth data on young people’s experiences. Structured qualitative assessments are particularly useful in mapping shifts in perceptions, attitudes and behaviours and in understanding how young people plan to apply the knowledge and capacities they have gained throughout the training in their own lives and in their own contexts. Structured qualitative assessments also allow us to understand the real benefit of the training towards young people and to also explore the aspects that have been the most (and least) relevant, enjoyable and impactful.

While structured ways of assessment are very useful in attaining a valuable ‘depth’ of understanding, they often require considerable qualitative research skills and are quite time-consuming both in their administration and analysis. Nonetheless, they provide that substantial ‘extra’ depth of information that is often the most catalytic and meaningful in forming a more comprehensive impression of the training’s impact. Examples of structured qualitative evaluation methodologies normally include focus group discussions or in-depth interviews.

Focus group discussions :  A focus group is a  group of interacting individuals, usually in small numbers such as 6-8 participants, which are brought together by a moderator (or facilitator), with the aim to gain information about a specific topic. The moderator guides the group discussion using a semi-structured discussion guide that has been prepared prior to the implementation of the focus group, based on specific evaluation objectives. Using appropriate questions and techniques (such as probing, clarification, follow up, challenging and exit questions) the moderator tries to understand participants’ experiences during the training, what the benefit was for them, any changes they have experienced, aspects that did not work well and what they would like to see improved in future similar trainings.

Using a focus group allows the moderator to encourage conversation, which can lead to a feedback effect among the group that spurs further conversation which might not have come up if other methodologies were used (such as questionnaires or individual interviews). Essentially, the moderator instigates a discussion, and the participants get the ball rolling by bouncing ideas off of each other and building on each other’s’ responses. 

Focus groups are usually recorded so that the trainers can have the opportunity to go back and listen to participants’ responses; research ethics connote that confidentiality and anonymity must be kept at all times. Based on the feedback of the focus groups, trainers can understand the extent and depth of the impact of their intervention and use the results to make improvements. 

The following is a sample semi-structured discussion guide, prepared for a relatively short focus group discussion of around 25 minutes. You can adapt the questions according to the issues that are important for you to explore, asking additional questions, excluding or rephrasing these proposed ones. Moreover, the semi-structured nature of the discussion, allows for a substantial amount of flexibility in the interview, allowing you follow the issues that the young people themselves bring into the discussion and asking more questions around those.

Safe from SGBV-Sample Focus group discussion guide

  1. If you would say something to a peer about this training, what would you say?
  2. Reflecting on your journey through this training, what was the most powerful moment for you, or the moment that kind of stayed with you? Why was this so?
  3. Was there a moment that was particularly challenging or difficult? How so?
  4. What was the most valuable thing you gained from the training
    1. How was this important to you? Please explain.
  5. What would you say were the key messages of this training? 
    1. What did this training try to convey to young people?
  6. What was the impact the training had on you, on your perceptions, understandings and skills?
  7. To what extent do you think the training encourages young people to engage in a process of reflection and  revaluation of certain perceptions or behaviours?
    1. What perceptions/behaviours did the training help you revaluate? 
    1. How did this happen? How did the training encourage you to do this? Please explain.
  8. How did the training impact your readiness in addressing sexual and gender-based violence?
    1. (if yes) How did the training help you do so? Please explain.
    1. What type of knowledge and skills did you gain in this respect (i.e. knowing what action to take in order to protect yourself and others from SGBV)? Please provide some examples
    1. (If the training didn’t enhance their skills or readiness). What could have helped to better enhance your skills and readiness level to address/stand up to SGBV?
    1. What do you think was missing from the training in this respect?
  9. And how about your confidence level in taking action against SGBV? Has the training had any impact on your overall confidence in reacting to incidences of SBGV? 
    1. In what way did it help/not help your confidence level? Please explain.
  10. Overall, what did you think of the activities we did during the training?
    1. What did you like about them?
    1. What do you think worked well? Please elaborate.
    1. What didn’t you like so much?
  1. If you could redesign this training, what would you change or what would you do differently ? Please elaborate.

In depth interviews use a similar methodology to the focus group discussion (using a semi-structured discussion guide with probing, clarification and follow up questions) but instead of using a group setting, the moderator interacts with respondents on an individual level, one at a time. In-depth interviews allow for more detailed responses to the questions asked because there is more time allocated to a specific participant. The fact that there is only one participant also allows the participant to speak more freely and openly (especially with regards to sensitive topics) as they do not have to be mindful of group dynamics. 

●  15.7. Pre and post questionnaires [3]

Pre and post questionnaires  can be used to evaluate shifts in awareness, knowledge, perceptions, stances and self-reported behaviours of young people with regard to the topics discussed in this toolkit. Young people who participate in the workshops will need to fill out a questionnaire before the workshop commences (pre-questionnaire) and then fill out the same questionnaire at the end of the last workshop (post-questionnaire). Ideally, workshop participants need to fill out the questionnaire again, 4 months after the end of the training intervention (follow-up questionnaire) in order to track the sustainability of the intervention. However, this is not always possible as we may not have access to the target group after the training intervention has been completed. The results of the pre, post (and follow up) questionnaires are analysed and compared, to measure any modification (positive or negative) in young people’s knowledge, attitudes and self-reported behaviours regarding SGBV issues after the implementation of the workshops has been completed.

It is also recommended (even though it is often difficult to do) to use a control group, with young people of a similar profile that will not participate in the workshops. The control group will also fill out the same questionnaires (pre, post and follow up)  at the same time intervals as the young people who have participated in the workshops. The purpose of this process is to validate that any observed change in workshop participants can be attributed to the effect of the workshop(s) rather than to any other external factors (such as social media campaigns) that may have influenced young people’s knowledge, attitudes or behaviours. Moreover, it is recommended that the number of young people that will participate in the workshops to be equal to the number of young people that will be assigned in the control group so that a meaningful statistical comparison can take place.

Below, a SAMPLE pre and post questionnaire is outlined which can be used to evaluate your educational intervention, taking into account that this intervention consists of at least 3 training sessions, one from each category ((i) introduction to SOGIESC diversity and hierarchies of power, (ii) manifestations and impact of SGBV and (iii) addressing/standing up to SGBV and exploring avenues to safety.

The questions for the introductory part are mandatory. These aim to identity young people’s shifts in normalized perceptions, attitudes  and beliefs about gender, SOGIESC diversity, privilege and inequality. Similarly, the last part  of the questionnaire (standing up to SGBV) is also mandatory and needs to be included as is. This aims to capture the extent to which the educational intervention has been successful in equipping young people with knowledge and skills in protecting themselves and others from SGBV.

 The middle part of the questionnaire, however, will vary according to the modules and activities that will be included in the specific training program you will run in your local contexts. Questions in this part are outlined per module so you can pick and choose according to which modules you will incorporate in your training.

PLEASE NOTE: The pre and post methodology can only be effective if you carefully select questions in your questionnaire  that specifically match the discussions you will hold and the key messages you will deliver in your activities. If for instance, a question on intersectionality is included in the questionnaire but during the presentation of a case study you don’t have the opportunity to bring intersectionality to the forefront, then these questions will most probably not present significant shifts and it may appear that your intervention was not so impactful. Similarly, if your discussions focus particularly on identifying SGBV rather than on the dynamics of it, no significant shifts will be noted in questions that explore victim-blaming attitudes for instance. This would suggest that questions similar to the latter need to be excluded from the questionnaire and that questions pertaining to knowledge/awareness, rather than attitudes, are more applicable.

Once you finalise your questionnaire, go through the questions and match them with the discussions you are planning to have, the messages you will focus on and the awareness you want to create. In this way, you can ensure that you are evaluating knowledge and attitudes towards issues that you will have specifically given the opportunity to young people to explore during the workshops.

When conducting the analysis, please also pay attention to matching the ‘personal codes’ from the PRE and POST questionnaires, to ensure that all young people who filled out a questionnaire prior to the intervention, also filled out a questionnaire after the intervention. Ideally, the two samples (pre and post) need to be identical in order to achieve the maximum validity of the results. However, this is not always possible as sometimes participants, especially in online settings, tend to ‘drift away’ as sessions progress. 

SAMPLE Pre And Post Questionnaire to be used for evaluation

The information you that you will provide to the following questions is strictly CONFIDENTIAL and ANONYMOUS. Please do not write your name anywhere on this questionnaire. There are no right or wrong answers, we are only interested in your personal opinion. Thank you for your feedback. Your answers will help us improve the content of our workshops and implement activities that are most targeted to young people’s needs.

PART A

The following 6 statements are mandatory and need to be included in the questionnaire

Please rate to what extent you agree or disagree with the following statements, by checking the response that best describes YOUR OWN OPINION. 1= Completely disagree , 2 = Somewhat disagree, 3= Neutral, 4= Somewhat agree, 5= Completely agree and 0 = Don’t know/I am not sure.

 Completely DISAGREESomewhat DisagreeNeutralSomewhat AGREECompletely AGREEDon’t know/ I am not sure
1. All people identify as boys or girls, men or women123450
2. There are two aspects to sexual attraction/ sexual orientation: (i) heterosexuality and (ii) homosexuality.123450
3. One of the key causes of sexual and gender-based violence are societal expectations and social norms about gender, gender identity, gender expression and sexual orientation 123450
4. A person should be able to freely express their gender and sexual identities as they personally define them and experience them, no matter how different these identities are from the norm.123450
5. It is perfectly acceptable to address a person according to the gender they look like, rather than using the pronoun this person prefers for themselves.123450
6. Differences in gender, gender identities and sexualities result in differences in power or privilege among different groups in society123450

PART B

Include some of following statements according to the modules and activities you have used. Even within a certain module, you can select only those statements that best match the specific activities and key messages you will deliver during your training.

Please rate to what extent you agree or disagree with the following statements, by checking the response that best describes YOUR OWN OPINION. 

1= Completely disagree , 2 = Somewhat disagree, 3= Neutral, 4= Somewhat agree, 5= Completely agree and 0 = Don’t know/I am not sure.

Module 2: Reclaiming Sexuality

 Completely DISAGREESomewhat DisagreeNeutralSomewhat AGREECompletely AGREEDon’t know/ I am not sure
7. Often young people’s capacity to make decisions about their sexual lives does not solely depend on their own personal power to do so123450
8. The more we are encouraging sexual freedom, the more we are encouraging young people to embark in unsafe sexual encounters.123450
9. A young person can express their sexuality in an open and sex-positive manner, even if they choose not to have sex 123450
10. It is okay for young people to explore diverse sexual experiences as long as there is informed, clear, meaningful and active consent.123450
11. Young people should have the capacity to act as they choose in their sexual lives and generally define their sexuality by the choices, they make themselves for themselves.123450

Module 3: Gender-based Violence in Different Contexts

 Completely DISAGREESomewhat DisagreeNeutralSomewhat
AGREE
Completely AGREEDon’t know/ I am not sure
12. People who experience gender-based violence are usually weak characters123450
13. Violence usually happens because the person who experiences the abuse must have done something to provoke it.123450
14. You can’t really say that it was sexual abuse between two people who had had sex before and are currently dating.123450
15. Excluding, avoiding or isolating a person who expresses their gender differently (i.e., outside the binary man/woman) is not so hurtful because no-one is being abusive to them123450
16. Trying to encourage a person to better conform to gender roles or to assume a clearer masculine or feminine identity is a way to protect them from SGBV123450
17. Sometimes certain jokes, comments or gossip are wrongly classified as sexist or homophobic because they are often unintentional and harmless.123450
18. Certain people experience higher vulnerability to gender-based violence because they may experience multiple layers of discrimination due to their intersecting identities (gender, gender identity/expression, (dis)ability, sexual orientation etc) 123450
19. Calling sex workers various derogatory names is a form of sexual violence.123450
20. There’s nothing wrong with a husband to force his wife to become pregnant because they are married123450
21. It is justifiable for a woman to be beaten up or otherwise severely punished if she has disgraced her family123450
22. Some cultural practices can be a form of violence against women (such as female genital mutilation, forced marriages etc.)123450
23. The indifference of police to support certain groups (trans people, LGBTIQ+, sex workers, Roma, ethnic minorities etc) is a form of SGBV123450

Module 4: Intimate Partner Violence

 Completely DISAGREESomewhat DisagreeNeutralSomewhat
AGREE
Completely AGREEDon’t know/ I am not sure
24. There is nothing wrong with giving your partner the password to your social media account, especially if they have also given you theirs123450
25. It’s justifiable for your partner to get really angry and pushy when you’re physically intimate but don’t want to have sex123450
26. Showing up uninvited to check on your partner or demanding to constantly know where they are, is a form of caring and protectiveness123450
27. There is nothing wrong with spying on the mobile phone of your partner123450
28. Constantly pressuring one’s partner to quit some of their hobbies and to spend less time with their friends is a form of relationship abuse123450
29. You cannot say that it was rape if a sex worker was forced to have sex against their will, because they were only doing their job123450
30. When someone shares intimate, sexual pictures of their partner with others, they most likely do it as a joke.123450
31. You can change the violent behaviour of someone by being patient and hoping that their behaviour will change over time.123450
32. Making sarcastic comments about your partner’s appearance or body and constantly comparing them to ‘mainstream sexy people’ is a form of gender violence123450
33. Threats to ‘out’ your partner (if they are LGBTIQ+) are  a means of control and intimidation123450
34. Monitoring a partner’s posts, shares, likes, tags, and their followers in social media is normal behaviour between two people who care for each other123450
35. It is easy for a person to walk out from an abusive relationship123450

Module 5: Sexual Violence

 Completely DISAGREESomewhat DisagreeNeutralSomewhat  AGREECompletely AGREEDon’t know/ I am not sure
36. Some cases of sexual harassment are often meaningless, harmless incidences that shouldn’t get so much attention.123450
37. You can assume that someone is fine to go ahead with a certain sexual activity if they said nothing about it.123450
38. It’s safe to assume that someone wants to have sex with you if the two of you already had sex before123450
39. A woman should consent to have sex with someone she is about to marry and her parents approve of123450
40. It’s okay for someone to demand sex from their partner if they keep buying them gifts and take them out to expensive places.123450
41. It is okay to explore a more ‘spicy’ sex life with your partner if you both willingly consent to it123450
42. If two people willingly go out on a date, we can’t say that sexual abuse happened between them123450

Module 6: Online sexual violence

 Completely DISAGREESomewhat DisagreeNeutralSomewhat  AGREECompletely AGREEDon’t know/ I am not sure
43. There’s nothing wrong with engaging in sexting (sharing sexual pictures/videos) as long as there is consent, trust and respect of privacy.123450
44. It’s best to send a sexy or naked picture of you to your sexual partner if they ask you to, because they may lose interest in you if you don’t.123450
45. When a guy is asked to send a naked picture of himself to someone he’s flirting with, he has to do it  in order to prove his manhood.123450
46. Gradually, strategically and persistently trying to persuade someone to send a sexual picture of themselves when they are not sure they want to, is a form of sexual abuse.123450
47. There is no safe way to engage in sexting. It’s quite risky sexual behaviour.123450
48. There’s nothing wrong with gossiping about someone’s sexual picture which has been shared widely and doing nothing about it. You’re not the one who shared it anyway.123450
49. Online sexual activity just reflects how we have completely lost human connection123450

PART C

The following  statements are mandatory and need to be included in the questionnaire

Please rate to what extent you agree or disagree with the following statements, by checking the response that best describes YOUR OWN OPINION. 

1= Completely disagree , 2 = Somewhat disagree, 3= Neutral, 4= Somewhat agree, 5= Completely agree and 0 = Don’t know/I am not sure.

 Completely DISAGREESomewhat DisagreeNeutralSomewhat  AGREECompletely AGREEDon’t know/ I am not sure
50. Gender-based violence is a private matter. It is better to leave the people involved to sort out their differences by themselves, in their own way.123450
51. It’s best for people who experience gender-based violence to try to deal with it on their own. This will make them stronger.123450
52. I think I am quite aware of what sexual and gender-based violence is and I feel confident I can easily recognize its different manifestations123450
53. In the event that I personally experience sexual or gender-based violence I believe I have the knowledge and skills to take action to protect myself123450
54. If I witness a person being abused, I believe I have the knowledge and the confidence to intervene and help them123450
55. If I witness a person being abused, I believe I have the skills to support them123450

  1. Robert Stakes, professor of education and director of CIRCE at the University of Illinois, quoted in “Evaluation and Education: A Quarter Century”. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1991: p. 169.) 
  2. Adapted from Hield, A. (2012). Creative Evaluation Toolkit. Bradford, UK: Artworks Creative Communities.
  3. Adapted from the manual “GEAR against IPV”. Booklet III: Teacher’s Manual. (Rev. ed.). Athens: European Anti-Violence Network.