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

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ICT for education programmes, utilising the partnership-based nature of thefieldwork to assess value systems and the challenges and opportunitiescreated. The third analysis chapter examines the way that pedagogy ismarginalised within many ICT for education programmes, considering theconsequences of this regarding assessment of outcomes, definitions of impactand understandings of liberal education. The fourth analysis chapter exploresthe significance of aspiration within technology initiatives linked toconceptions of education, development and progress, focussing on theconsequences for effective impact assessment. Chapter 9 concludes thisthesis by drawing each of the themes together, offering recommendations,and prioritising educational objectives. The intention is to ensure practicalapplication of the research and emphasise the need for both critical rigourand innovative alternatives in monitoring and evaluating ICT for education inAfrica.70
3. Methodology3.1 IntroductionThe purpose of this chapter is to explain how the research objectives wereoperationalised. In much research, the primary function of the methodologyis to be a means by which to reach the analysis. However in this research themethodological processes were intrinsic to the substantive analysis. Becauseof this, much of the research activity involved reflecting on the processes thatwere taking place and then assessing their implications. In order to do thiseffectively, the research had to be grounded in the practical experience ofundertaking monitoring and evaluation case studies of ICT for educationprogrammes.In the light of this the methodological approach was structured into threedifferent categories. The first was two longitudinal case studies in Malawi andEthiopia conducted in partnership and employing innovative approaches tomonitoring and evaluation. The second was using methods to facilitatecontinuous reflection on the monitoring and evaluation processes takingplace in the case studies. The third was three participatory workshops, emailinterviews and an online survey, the objective of each being to provide abroader perspective from across Africa.3.1.1 StructureThe unusual structure of the methodology, with three different categories,combined with its position of central importance within the analysis requiresthat this chapter begin with a clear contextual overview and rationale. Havingdone this I then provide details of the four main partnership relationshipswhich facilitated the research process, including rationale for their selection.Following this, each individual method used throughout the research isexplained. I then provide an exposition on the ethical framework for thisthesis and explanation for the approach adopted. Analysis of the case study71
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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
Page 19 and 20: I began this PhD two weeks after mo
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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
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Page 37 and 38: can instigate both harm and good, i
Page 39 and 40: Such an undertaking is central to t
Page 41 and 42: - Availability of computer networks
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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
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Page 63 and 64: However, despite such claims and th
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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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Page 91 and 92: drawings was as a precursor to anci
Page 93 and 94: Photo 3.3: Students completing the
Page 95 and 96: prior to implementation of the prog
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Page 101 and 102: conversations with respondents, as
Page 103 and 104: partially based on the flawed notio
Page 105 and 106: in the research then all those unab
Page 107 and 108: motivational and aspirational techn
Page 109 and 110: In the light of the complex challen
Page 111 and 112: It cannot be guaranteed that resear
Page 113 and 114: Embrace the heterogeneity of commun
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Page 117 and 118: which each received 20 devices for
Page 119 and 120: 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
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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
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
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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
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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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