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

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education context are usefully illustrated by the debate between Helmreich(1999) and Lansing (2000) centred on digital technology and water.Advocates for critical engagement (Feenberg and Hannay 1995, Vogel 1995)dismiss the assumption that technology has autonomous and staticfunctional logic as deterministic, fatalistic, and offering „only condemnationof the present and no guidance for the future‟ (Feenberg 1999 p.193).Arguments that position technology as the primary structure of society (Ellul1964) can be simply contested on the basis that technology, in itself, isambivalent. Put simply, technology can be used either to serve the interests ofthose in power or to transform the nature of power relationships (Castells2000). Emphasising the „malleability of technology‟ challenges the Marcusiandichotomy and recognises the potential for incremental change, diversity andchoice as well as complete paradigm shift. Thus technology is positioned assubservient to people and as a potential element of both liberation andsubjugation (Vogel 1995).Feenberg (1995 p.20) makes the important point that although a dominantexperience of recent history has been the use of technology in hinderingparticipatory democracy, it is foreseeable that „technology can support morethan one type of technological civilisation, and may someday be incorporatedinto a more democratic society than ours‟. Castells (2000 p.20) reinforcesthis stance within the specific context of current ICT, pointing to itsemancipatory and transformative potential, serving to enliven democracy,create networks and redefine power to the point where „the power of flowstakes precedence over the flows of power‟. Indeed, potential indications ofthis are found in participatory web-based technologies such as blogging andtwitter and I return to discuss these later in this chapter.Offering practical steps towards a view of technology that could help bringabout such a transformed society is dependent upon holding lightly to theseabstract reflections and engaging with the practical implications of rapidlyshifting, technology-induced, time-space interactions in both developed anddeveloping contexts. Once it is recognised that the application of technology36
can instigate both harm and good, it becomes necessary to form a frameworkfor promoting principles such as political transparency, social creativity andindividual freedom. It is such issues that constitute holistic definitions ofsocial and individual development (Sen 1999) and thus should be centralelements within any ICT for development and education initiative.Employing technology effectively within development therefore requires anormative agenda, harnessing the potential of technology to help form a„non-alienated society‟ where „humans consciously and explicitly assert theirresponsibility for the world, transforming it on the basis of needs that arediscursively expressed and social decisions that are democratically made‟(Vogel 1995 p.38). If achievable, this has the potential to break thedeterminist link between technology and domination, challenging the notionof technology as self-generating and detached from society, andsimultaneously shifting its position away from one of unquestionedacceptance.2.3.5 A note of cautionHaving outlined this perspective it is necessary to add a cautionary note.Despite the potential for critical engagement, this is rarely fully realisedwithin an arena dominated by private sector led, unquestioned adoption oftechnology. Whilst rejecting dystopian critiques on the basis of theiressentialist claims, it is important to acknowledge that many of the fears theyarticulate are currently being realised to varying degrees as a consequence ofuncritical social choices regarding what constitutes development and, morespecifically, the appropriate application of technology in education. This isparticularly pertinent in the light of recent naïve optimism regarding thepotential of new digital communication technologies within thecontemporary world and the presumed inevitability of positive change fromtheir promulgation (see Battelle 2005, Sunstein 2006). Such populistapproaches serve insidiously to undermine and delegitimise a criticallyengaged approach. I return to consider the implications of this for assessingICT for education throughout Chapter 8.37
Page 4 and 5: the research findings to emphasise
Page 7 and 8: 3.4.5 Drawings ....................
Page 9 and 10: 5.4.1 Plurality of methods ........
Page 11 and 12: 8.3 Implications of aspiration ....
Page 13 and 14: List of figuresFigure 2.1: MDGs (UN
Page 15 and 16: List of appendicesAppendix A: Resul
Page 17 and 18: NOLNet Namibian Open Learning Netwo
Page 19 and 20: I began this PhD two weeks after mo
Page 21 and 22: number of ICT for education program
Page 23 and 24: innovative alternatives, and the ce
Page 25 and 26: 2.2 Substance, rationale and approa
Page 27 and 28: progress towards the EFA goals has
Page 29 and 30: The critique posed to the market th
Page 31 and 32: etween these two extremes as a resu
Page 33 and 34: promoted to become „the character
Page 35: appropriate application in recognit
Page 39 and 40: Such an undertaking is central to t
Page 41 and 42: - Availability of computer networks
Page 43 and 44: assisting towards this end. The imp
Page 45 and 46: eing rooted in specific socio-cultu
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Page 49 and 50: Central within this is recognising
Page 51 and 52: 2.6.2 Maturing of the disciplineEar
Page 53 and 54: that conceptualises ICT for develop
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Page 57 and 58: attempt to impose overarching solut
Page 59 and 60: currently the lowest available „p
Page 61 and 62: Garcia-Montes et al. 2006). This is
Page 63 and 64: However, despite such claims and th
Page 65 and 66: into knowledge and applied in life
Page 67 and 68: dependent upon an increased emphasi
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Page 71 and 72: 3. Methodology3.1 IntroductionThe p
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Page 77 and 78: ICT for development programmes (Hee
Page 79 and 80: organisations, explanation of the p
Page 81 and 82: 3.3.1 EuroTalk LtdEuroTalk (http://
Page 83 and 84: further two weeks in Ethiopia in De
Page 85 and 86: 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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Critical thinking constitutes a sig
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misconception regarding the nature
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Bloom’s Original Taxonomy(1956)An
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associated negative consequences to
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adherence to a flawed promotion of
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„We are not interested with the t
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failing to complete primary educati
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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
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:
Page 409 and 410:
Lasonen, J., Kemppainen, R., and Ra
Page 411 and 412:
Mansell, R., 2005. The fragility of
Page 413 and 414:
Mercer, C., 2006. Telecentres and t
Page 415 and 416:
Mutume. G., 2006. Harnessing the in
Page 417 and 418:
Olukoshi, A., 2006. African scholar
Page 419 and 420:
Paul, R. and Elder, L. 2005. The mi
Page 421 and 422:
Roy, S., 2005. Globalisation, ICT a
Page 423 and 424:
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
Page 431 and 432:
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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