Evaluating ICT for Education in Africa - Royal Holloway, University of ...

that I did not intend to adapt to local context. As noted in my research diary(28/09/07):„There is little point in designing the detail of methods beforeyou leave because it is tantamount to an admission you arenot really interested in being flexible and adaptive to localneeds. Instead the focus should be on developing principlesand a flexible framework of concern which can then changeshape accordingly.‟It has been suggested (Miller and Bell 2002) that because knowledgeproduction is grounded in shared experiences it is only possible to speculateregarding the most appropriate approach at the outset of a researchprogramme. Whilst wanting to emphasise the importance of flexibility, I didnot fully endorse this view. Indeed, remaining adaptive did not meanadopting an unplanned approach and giving no thought to appropriatemethodologies, rather it was the nature of the planning that altered. Planningshould enable reflection on appropriate methods, recognising thatknowledges are contextual, practically applied and locally specific. This inturn is dependent upon operationalising the flexible research principlesdiscussed in the ethical reflections of Chapter 3, in order to reach theoverarching objective of promoting field research that facilitates monitoringand evaluation structured towards instigating positive change (Huberman1995, Fetterman 1996, Fetterman and Wandersman 2004).5.2. Context and structureThe monitoring and evaluation of ICT for education programmes in Africa istoo often undertaken without adequate attention paid to the associatedresearch methodologies. This is exacerbated by the frequent lack of planningfor monitoring and evaluation at programme inception that can reduceoverall efficacy (Cassidy 2007). Farrell et al. (2007 p.9) note in reflectingupon the evaluation of the NEPAD e-Schools initiative, a multinational ICTfor education programme, that „many of the issues that have arisen could154