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

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These examples make sense when framed within a wider developmentnarrative. For many years, development interventions propagated amodernist approach (Simon 2003) and unsurprisingly this has hadsignificant impact in shaping current widespread aspiration. As Ferguson(1999 p.14) acknowledges, „the myth of modernisation (no less than any othermyth) gives form to an understanding of the world, providing a set ofcategories and premises that continue to shape people‟s experiences andinterpretations of their lives‟. As a result, the vision of development as alinear track towards modernity, and its associated symbols of technology,becomes commonplace. Although development professionals may now bepromoting an alternative logic (Wagner et al. 2004), that technology isvaluable for what it facilitates rather than what it represents, the result ofprevious sustained interventions combined with private sector marketingensures that the modernist logic is deeply engrained. Indeed, although someacademics and NGOs may highlight alternative uses of technology (Hamiltonand Feenberg 2003, Vogel 1995), the majority of financial power lies withthose who actively seek, or implicitly subscribe to, the perpetuation of thecurrent orthodoxy. Simon (2007 p.206) encountered this in Nigeria, wherehe notes that young people resent NGO-type interventions because theyimpede „their own vision of local development, which is western-stylemodernisation ... what the youths claim to want is more modernisation-asdevelopment,not less.‟The aspiration for modernisation is a primary motivation for manybeneficiaries when engaging with ICT for development (Mercer 2006) andcan be outworked through a mindset that Heeks (1999) terms „technologyfetishism‟. In considering this, it is useful to draw on Marx‟s system of classbasedsubjugation, in which value is defined by categories of use or exchange(Wenning 2002). The use of technology fetishism is not a direct comparisonwith commodity fetishism because there is not the same direct attachment tolabour (Marx 1867). Indeed, aspiration could be viewed as a third category inaddition to use and exchange value. Even if without direct use or exchangevalue, an object may still be valued, or aspired to, as a representative symbol.354
Commodity fetishism through aspiration for technology is therefore notinherently negative, but rather it marginalises the place of critical analysis,removing the possibility of imagining alternatives and thereby contributing toa false consciousness. Put simply, the acceptance of the capitalism-asdevelopmentvision represents a widespread illusion, or false consciousness,actively perpetuated by both internal and external influences (Easterly 2006,Wainwright 2008) and legitimising the avoidance of conventionalaccountability mechanisms, evaluation and good governance.8.5.4 Case study: undercover computers in KafuloEffective monitoring and evaluating is dependent on conscious engagementwith the factors identified above. This may lead to a significant disparitybetween what different parties consider to constitute an effective andappropriate development intervention. The visit of the research team inMalawi to Kafulo primary school served to demonstrate this issue in practice.On arrival at the school (13/11/07) the research team were proudly directedto the designated computer lab: a former classroom containing ten desktopcomputers. The head teacher informed us that the computers had beendonated by the Hunter Foundation six months ago, but that no-one had yetreturned to train the teachers. One teacher directed me to one of themachines and explained that they could not make it work. Turning thecomputer around, I noticed that the cable to the monitor had fallen out, so Iplugged it back in and began using the computer as normal. This initialincident served to demonstrate the futility of donating technology withoutproviding the requisite basic training.355
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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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esponses to questions regarding par
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Month Activity Challenges Strengths
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communicate alternative withappropr
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EuroTalk are keen for thefindings t
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6.2 Why partnership?The contributor
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(Unwin 2005b). The notion of tri-se
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assess the efficacy of the partners
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6.3.1 Contrasting bottom linesPartn
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to engage with the development pote
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that could be distributed specifica
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sector was the most significant cha
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My suggestion that I might speak wi
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approach is found in assessing the
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the fieldwork. The effect of the ob
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(13/04/08). Although prevented from
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„We should have worked more close
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since the language being used faile
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demonstrated in an interview with E
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discussions and various unsuccessfu
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of partnership (Marriot and Goyder
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„‟When we think of monitoring s
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the impact on ECBP from spending ti
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„It has to do with the history of
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6.7.2 Potential to redefine practic
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monitoring and evaluation can provi
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Photo 7.2: Desks and benches in cla
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quantifying educational outputs. It
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of technology within education in A
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pedagogies, and new approaches to t
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eLearning in Africa. Training was h
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Second, alongside the enthusiasm ma
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in Ethiopia meant that the monitori
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„Akili has big potential - becaus
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„The main problem we are facing i
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colonial approach‟ (09/12/08) to
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The aim of providing free and unive
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Photo 7.4: Lessons in Malawi conduc
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Photo 7.5: Girls in Rema herding go
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teachers working in primary schools
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Teachers in Rema (22/04/08) gave a
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disaster. The contrasting potential
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2006). This is demonstrated by the
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Indeed, between these two extremes
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„I use the laptop a lot at home f
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Page 319 and 320: The traditional dominant narrative
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Page 343 and 344: If every child in Ethiopia who is e
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Page 347 and 348: However, as is now explored, the ve
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Page 351 and 352: 8.5.2 Private sector needs creation
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Page 371 and 372: It is therefore my hope that the me
Page 373 and 374: 9.2.5 Ongoing potential for transfo
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Page 377 and 378: esearch undertaken for this thesis.
Page 379 and 380: 9.5 Education: a final wordThe thes
Page 381 and 382: BibliographyAAG, 2009. Statement of
Page 383 and 384: Batchelor, S., Evangelista, S., Hea
Page 385 and 386: Development Department Education Gr
Page 387 and 388: learning: a sourcebook for evaluato
Page 389 and 390: evaluation in education. Studies in
Page 391 and 392: DFID, 2008. Private sector developm
Page 393 and 394: EFA, 2001. Dakar framework for acti
Page 395 and 396: Fadel, C. and Lemke, L. 2006. Techn
Page 397 and 398: G8, 2007. Growth and responsibility
Page 399 and 400: Greene, J., 2005. Mixed methods. In
Page 401 and 402: Harrow, J., 2001. Capacity building
Page 403 and 404: Hine, C., 2005. Virtual methods and
Page 405 and 406:
Illich, I., 1969. Celebration of aw
Page 407 and 408:
Oliver, G., (ed) 2005. Maitland+20:
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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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