What is validation?
Validation is another way to say “assessment” or “pre/post-test”. It is a set of ways to see whether the participants in a training session learned what the facilitator intended for them to learn. For the purposes of creating a participatory, inclusive adult learning environment, the Raising Voices Staff Skill Building Library includes several participatory validation methods that are fun and inclusive for groups—some of whom may not feel comfortable reading or writing in English. For example:
- Activity in Training
- Game Show
- Pick and Play
- Answers Bingo
- Card Game
- Agree/ Disagree/ Not Sure
- Debates
- Teach Back
- Exit Interview/ Role Play
- Site visit with Monitoring Checklist
- Written Quiz
Why validate participant learning?
Validation helps the facilitator to see whether participants learned what was intended. If so, the facilitator can be confident that participants are ready for their work. If not, validation helps the facilitator know specifically what type of additional training and mentoring may be needed to achieve the needed skills. If many of the participants did not learn what was intended from a training session, it allows reflection and revision of the training material itself to increase effectiveness.
Validation takes active engagement by facilitators and a bit more effort than time-based training—but the benefits are clear—facilitators and participants can know that efforts are producing results!!
What is a validation question?
A validation question is something that can be asked of participants to confirm whether or not they learned what was intended from the training module. It can be in the form of a realistic scenario that asks them to demonstrate a skill, or a knowledge or attitude-based question to see if they gained the knowledge.
How and when do I use validation questions?
Validation questions can be used before the training begins, to get a sense of what the group already knows—and then again at the end of the training, to see what has been learned. Generally, it is ok to spend less time on validation at the beginning of a training—and it is best to get this information as early as possible, so it can help in planning what modules to include and what pace can be set. At the end of a training day or the entire training workshop, it is important to focus on validation methods that tell you what the group, or each individual participant, learned.
Validation questions are included in each training module in the Raising Voices Staff Skill Building Library. Most methods are not used at the end of every session but after several sessions (i.e. a day of training, or at the end of a multi-day training). Facilitators can simply choose which method they think is most appropriate and gather the validation questions from each module to form their validation content.
What does validation measure?
Validation methods are designed to measure change in the participants’ knowledge, attitudes, skills, and behaviors over time, related to specific competencies necessary to do quality VAW prevention.
