Profiles
Taitos Matafeni
Research and Knowledge Management Specialist
Taitos provides supplementary capacity to the Research Facilitation and Knowledge Management team (RFKM) on tasks related to knowledge management (KM) and to monitoring, evaluation, research and learning (MERL) associated with UNICEF’s efforts to scale up the application of behavioral science methods and evidence. His role includes developing pragmatic MERL plans to surface evidence and learning from the application of Behavioral sciences, developing and delivering capacity building curriculum on Implementation research and MERL to country teams, establishing and managing a systematic approach to capture and timely report outcomes for children as well as supporting Knowlagent management efforts for the UNICEF BIRD lab. Taitos is an accomplished MERL specialist with over 20 years’ experience with increasing levels of seniority spanning Advisory, Manager or ‘Head of team’ roles in Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation of International Development Assistance in fields of across sectors and contexts from sub-Sahara Africa, South East Asia and the Pacific. He has significant experience in driving use of evidence to inform policy analysis, strategic partnerships and program development and implementation.
Publications
Publication
Guidance Note on Using Implementation Research in Education
Although many interventions aiming to improve quality, inclusion, and equity in education have been tested around the world, it is not always clear from the existing research base why they work, for whom they work, and what are the defining contextual circumstances under which they work. And while there is an increasingly robust body of evidence on 'what works', taking interventions to scale through government systems often requires multiple iterations to achieve fidelity and a full understanding of the wider ecosystem. Implementation research is concerned with why and how an intervention or reform works by considering the context, stakeholders, and process of implementation. This guidance note, developed by the Building Evidence in Education (BE2) Working Group, helps education stakeholders to design and oversee implementation research in order to answer questions and learn lessons about the contextual factors impacting the implementation of an intervention or reform in a particular government or implementer’s system.