Critical Thinking for Development Education; moving from Evaluation to Research: DERN CONFERENCE OCTOBER 2009

Son GyohMSc Development Management

The Role of Research & Learning in mainstreaming Southern perspective

Introduction

Two major challenges to global south dimensions:

• Low Level of Research and Learning

•Resistance/reluctance from dominant actors to re learn

• The word ‘mainstream’ is used only in a generic way to describe dominant perspectives/actors

and by no means confer or imply the superiority of one perspective over the other.

Implications:

•Attempts to include global dimensions dominated by evaluation approaches•Resistance within global north epistemology to shift conceptual boundaries• Compromise professional premise of southern actors/practice

Context

Practice environment of isolated impact measurement than learningperspective boundaries remain polarised

•A new space for critical thinking & dialogue

•Efforts to improve methodologies OSPDE

Imperatives of Agenda based approaches to DE

•Development connotes an agenda of progressive change (Thomas, A. 2000).•Education aimed at understanding and challenging global inequalities serves an agenda •Global south actors work around specific issues to mobilise action for change at various levels

Critical questions

What informs southern Perspectives to DE? (the urgency of real life experiences?)

What constitutes a methodology? Is the concept of universality in methodology an abstraction?

Challenge for southern actors

Theorising the ‘agenda’ nature of southern perspectives into systematic knowledge overarching influence of ‘the principles of education’ over ‘a vision of development’Solidarity remains underexplored in securing global civil consciousness and partnership.

Constrained learning spacesCurrent engagement favour mini grant projects with clear benchmarks Conferences unable to sustain the learning circle leave more questions unanswereddisconnect between theory and practiceEvaluation approaches not permitted critical analysis of how southern DE concepts and perspectives are constructed.

Evaluation as an intervention tool

measurement of performance against set objectives (Wiess, 1972p1).Aims more at accountability than investigation marginal value for learning (Edwards & Hulmes; 1995) Rossi and Freeman: evaluation as a proactive programme planning tool (1993, p.5)

Positivist Hegemony saw rise of cost and benefit analysis in project determination in public and

civil society sectors of development.

•Summative retrospective •Formative decision oriented

Summative evaluation has not offered adequate space to explore new meanings in conceptual gaps

Dominance of evaluation

Research as a learning tool for intervention

•Participatory Action Research PAR: links learning to action (theory to practice) •promotes participation (Stinger 1996).• Substitutes ‘expert’/dominant knowledge with stakeholder experience (de Koning & Martin 1996.

•legitimises other forms of knowledge by emphasising stakeholder perspectives

Research: systematic information gathering, investigation & analysis that support learning and decision making; PAR?

Developmental PAR research modelexamines processes & outcomes, provides formative evaluation

Widening participationinitiative

External inputs

Internal inputs

Review of strategy‘Listening to voices’

Conclusion

Evaluation approaches has not permitted the critical analysis of perspective definitions of DE concepts; the influence of development challenges on how perspectives are constructed .

Evaluation and research not mutually exclusive

but complementary in PAR for intervention.