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

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constructive idea had fallen short of instigating a change in approach toteaching and was actually just frustrating the teachers.This experience demonstrates the important lesson that it is considerablymore complex to change the pedagogical culture of a classroom than it is toadjust its physical infrastructure. If the latter occurs without addressing theformer then teachers will continue to teach rote-based and blackboardfocused in the manner to which they are accustomed. Likewise, children willkeep learning in the manner they have become accustomed to, reciting andmemorising what is written on the blackboard. The only substantive changethat occurred because of the DFID initiative is that half of the children couldno longer see what was being written on the blackboard because they areforced to sit facing away from the teacher.7.1.2 RationaleThis anecdote illustrates the core issues that this chapter addresses,providing a critique of the place of pedagogy within ICT for educationprogrammes and exploring the rationale underlying current emphases,especially in regard to educational outcomes and definitions of impact. Itdemonstrates how providing new educational structures is simpler thanengaging with underlying pedagogical practices. It identifies the gap betweentheory and practice, and between donor and teacher, provoking questionsregarding the imposition of change. An understanding of each of these is vitalif the monitoring and evaluation of ICT for education is to be undertaken inan effective manner.During the workshop I organised at eLearning Africa in May 2007,participants identified „impact on learning‟ as one of the three mostsignificant challenges facing monitoring and evaluation of ICT for educationinitiatives. I therefore selected this theme as the focus for a breakoutworkshop where participants could share their experiences and dilemmas.The resulting discussion identified widespread frustration in regard tomeasuring the impact of ICT on learning as part of the broader challenge of266
quantifying educational outputs. It also highlighted the pedagogical strugglethat teachers face regarding how to make appropriate use of ICT so that it hasa positive impact on learning.In the light of this, my field research was structured so that the monitoringand evaluation exercises would provide opportunities to engage practicallywith the issues highlighted in the workshop. The double reflective approachof the methodology provided ample opportunity both to engage withstakeholders regarding the issues of learning outcomes and pedagogy andalso to reflect on the implications of the perspectives expressed.7.1.3 StructureThis chapter focuses on pedagogy and learning outcomes within ICT foreducation initiatives in Africa in order to provide insights regarding theeffective undertaking of monitoring, evaluation and impact assessment. Ibegin with a discussion of the overall context and then focus on four themesrevealed as critical through my research but currently marginalised frommainstream debate: training, deployment, content and integration. Theseissues demonstrate how the ICT for education arena is often disconnectedfrom the realities of educational situations within Africa, and to exemplifythis I focus on the issues of attendance, quality, teacher training, capacity andapproach. In the second half of this chapter I demonstrate how these factorscombine to provide a context within which private sector-drivenconstructivism has become a widely adopted, idealised and yet problematicpedagogy. Following this, the discussion focuses on guided discovery as arealistic pedagogical alternative to the current orthodoxy, promoting the roleof critical thinking in progressive education. This leads into a considerationof the implications for effective monitoring and evaluation and impactassessment, alongside an illustration regarding the potential of educationaltransformation through technology. In closing, I offer three observationsregarding the current ICT for education context, highlighting the need foreducation to replace technology as the central defining factor, viewing theintroduction of technology as one aspect within a broader shift in education,267
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the research findings to emphasise
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3.4.5 Drawings ....................
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5.4.1 Plurality of methods ........
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8.3 Implications of aspiration ....
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List of figuresFigure 2.1: MDGs (UN
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List of appendicesAppendix A: Resul
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NOLNet Namibian Open Learning Netwo
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I began this PhD two weeks after mo
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number of ICT for education program
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innovative alternatives, and the ce
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2.2 Substance, rationale and approa
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progress towards the EFA goals has
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The critique posed to the market th
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etween these two extremes as a resu
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promoted to become „the character
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appropriate application in recognit
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can instigate both harm and good, i
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Such an undertaking is central to t
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- Availability of computer networks
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assisting towards this end. The imp
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eing rooted in specific socio-cultu
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evaluation: „An evaluation carrie
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Central within this is recognising
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2.6.2 Maturing of the disciplineEar
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that conceptualises ICT for develop
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2006). This also requires the adopt
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attempt to impose overarching solut
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currently the lowest available „p
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Garcia-Montes et al. 2006). This is
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However, despite such claims and th
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into knowledge and applied in life
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dependent upon an increased emphasi
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that ICT is having on education in
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3. Methodology3.1 IntroductionThe p
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2004) and instead focused on utilis
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evaluation of ICT and development p
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ICT for development programmes (Hee
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organisations, explanation of the p
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3.3.1 EuroTalk LtdEuroTalk (http://
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further two weeks in Ethiopia in De
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I was invited by InWEnt to particip
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planning and implementation they co
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the one on the adjacent line. This
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drawings was as a precursor to anci
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Photo 3.3: Students completing the
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prior to implementation of the prog
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provided regular opportunity for se
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for education in Africa from a list
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conversations with respondents, as
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partially based on the flawed notio
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in the research then all those unab
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motivational and aspirational techn
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In the light of the complex challen
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It cannot be guaranteed that resear
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Embrace the heterogeneity of commun
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The majority of the research encoun
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which each received 20 devices for
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Figure 4.1: ICT for development pol
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Photo 4.1: Students exploring the I
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and engaged with children, teachers
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the programme with all of them havi
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widespread lack of textbooks and in
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esources but also that it serves to
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in order to reflect the involvement
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Photo 4.4: Students in Ethiopia exp
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on the donation of solar panels fro
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Photo 4.6: Teacher training in Rema
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4.3.10 Programme futureThe XO 5000
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4.4.3 The importance of ICT for edu
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theme focussed on the lack of budge
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esponses, three dominant themes eme
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The experience of interacting with
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„In the institutions we have work
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Access to a wide variety of resourc
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assessment that emphasised the tran
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have been mitigated had the project
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and the need for sustained probing.
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Descriptionof methodFocus groupsLoc
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Classroomobservations24 in Malawi a
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5.3.1 Baseline testingDiscussion at
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indicated that although apparently
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The lack of evidence from the basel
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Choose the correct answer and write
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eflection upon the format suitabili
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you can follow that. It gives you g
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Following the final iteration of gr
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the method within its appropriate c
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more innovative approach to catalys
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to identify significant themes that
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„Everything that the teachers wro
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(Shurmer-Smith 2002, Herbert 2000).
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5.4 Lessons for effective operation
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and be provided with research assis
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problematic problem but it is the o
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elieving that methods that are base
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teachers maintaining many external
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weekend then they will be there and
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coffee and dancing together in a ro
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emphases can serve to reinforce eac
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eferring back to previous experienc
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Tilahun reflected on the reasons be
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The limited emphasis on quantifying
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5.5 Implications for capacity devel
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improve and build capacity. Similar
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These issues allude to the bigger p
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Page 261 and 262: 6.7.2 Potential to redefine practic
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Page 265: Photo 7.2: Desks and benches in cla
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Page 287 and 288: Photo 7.4: Lessons in Malawi conduc
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has received some attention (Naraya
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The traditional dominant narrative
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Children reported that they felt mo
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from Golgota eagerly affirmed this,
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and 2 compared to Standard 3 and 4.
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two case studies from Ethiopia. It
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as a good way to communicate with p
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increasingly apparent that Rema was
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evaluation and sustained an overly
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symbol of something good that Malaw
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aspiration could be viewed as poten
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journalist whose article was publis
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and powerful if we have OLPC here i
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If every child in Ethiopia who is e
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population live on less than $2 per
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However, as is now explored, the ve
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the right to profit from sale of al
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8.5.2 Private sector needs creation
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merely another context within which
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Commodity fetishism through aspirat
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The absurdity of the situation was
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„As we are a part of globalizatio
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of aspiration. Engaging effectively
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(Ellul 1964) does delegitimize uncr
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motivations for partnership. The im
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educational challenges and opportun
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choice of theoretical foundation, w
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It is therefore my hope that the me
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9.2.5 Ongoing potential for transfo
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undoubtedly become more so in the f
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esearch undertaken for this thesis.
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9.5 Education: a final wordThe thes
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BibliographyAAG, 2009. Statement of
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Batchelor, S., Evangelista, S., Hea
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Development Department Education Gr
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learning: a sourcebook for evaluato
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evaluation in education. Studies in
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DFID, 2008. Private sector developm
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EFA, 2001. Dakar framework for acti
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Fadel, C. and Lemke, L. 2006. Techn
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G8, 2007. Growth and responsibility
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Greene, J., 2005. Mixed methods. In
Page 401 and 402:
Harrow, J., 2001. Capacity building
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Hine, C., 2005. Virtual methods and
Page 405 and 406:
Illich, I., 1969. Celebration of aw
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Oliver, G., (ed) 2005. Maitland+20:
Page 409 and 410:
Lasonen, J., Kemppainen, R., and Ra
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Mansell, R., 2005. The fragility of
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Mercer, C., 2006. Telecentres and t
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Mutume. G., 2006. Harnessing the in
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Olukoshi, A., 2006. African scholar
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Paul, R. and Elder, L. 2005. The mi
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Roy, S., 2005. Globalisation, ICT a
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Shadish, W, Cook, T. and Campbell D
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Sperling, G., 2008. A global educat
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Thomas, J, 1996. Introduction: a de
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UNESCO, 2006a. Teachers and educati
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Unwin, T., 2009a. Conclusions. In U
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Walker, J, 2005. Self-determination
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Winch, C., 2005. Autonomy as an edu
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Appendices437
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439
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441
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Interviewee Company Details of Resp
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UK LtdJohn Connell Cisco Brief resp
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Appendix C: Sample of Malawi indivi
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Tell me, when you see a school like
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Appendix D: Sample of Ethiopia stud
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classes‟.For final question promp
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Children InformationInformation fro
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Appendix F: Sample of Malawi focus
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Appendix G: Sample of Ethiopia teac
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esponsibility of being apilot schoo
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laptop make to the livesof the chil
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How have you found thisdiscussion?O
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demonstrate, the eight questions an
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the technology solution and initiat
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made that rule. At the weekend I pl
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When you are writing the diary plea
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Do you think the laptops and Akili
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done?..............................
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...................................
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Appendix M: Baseline test in Malawi
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HIV?a. Yesb. No5. Are there medicin
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It is important that the test is co
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Teachers can teach students how to
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Maths1. What is the LCM of 5, 10 an
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HealthPlease explain how you can co
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- Please explain why you think thes
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495
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In wanting to do the best evaluatio
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Baselines (inc. retrospective const
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Appendix Q: Report from eLA worksho
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Incorporating more qualitative meth
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Breakout workshop 3 - DonorsProblem
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It is difficult to ensure the objec
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appease donors and secure future fu
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to demonstrate thatsomething works
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Insights regarding effective evalua
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Appendix S: Data table from Malawi
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A 10% increase in correct answers r
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with headgain overall perspective o
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