Across the four areas, a total of 227 people attended CLIQs initial field-day to find out what the project was about and to decide whether or not they were
interested in taking part (referred to as the interested sample). Each person completed a questionnaire which focussed on socio-economic and ICT issues. During participant selection, we aimed for about 35 participants from each area, over-sampling to account for expected attrition.
Based on completed questionnaires, 148 were selected (post-field) to take part in CLIQ. With the late selection of another 14 participants, the total selected sample was 162 participants.69
People from eMpumalanga were the most
enthusiastic about the CLIQ project, with Mpumalanga participants (pictured in Plate 5-9) accounting for two fifths (88 out of 227) of all interested participants.
In each area except for eNyakatho, more women than men showed an interest in CLIQ, resulting in an overall ratio of seven women for every three men. The selected sample was skewed towards eNtshonalanga participants (53) when compared to other areas (between 34 and 38). I was able to analyse changes in QoL for participants who attended at least two QLAs, as well as those who only attended the final assessment, because each QLA collected data on current perceptions of QoL and changes in QoL since mid 2008. From initial post-field analysis, QoL change data was available for 113 participants (the impact sample).
69 Higher levels of expected attrition at eNyakatho and political advice from the telecentre manager at eNtshonalanga, led to the late acceptance of 14 participants in these areas.
Plate 5-9: eMpumalanga participants and CLIQ fieldworkers
Photo: Phindi Xulu (2008)
Comparing the selected sample to the impact sample, the overall attrition rate was 30%. Table 5-6 shows the attrition rate per area, as well as the selected and impact samples according to sex, per area. The urban areas experienced higher attrition (41% and 39%) than the rural areas (30% and 11%). While factors other than the nature of the area had an influence on the attrition rate, the area difference does provide some indication that the urban environment impacts negatively on medium term project participation (two years) in comparison to rural environments.
Table 5-6: CLIQ selected and impact samples by area
Area eMpumalanga eNingizimu eNyakatho eNtshonalanga
Interested Sample 227 88 47 36 56
Sex Total
Sel’d Total
Impact Sel’d Impact Sel’d Impact Sel’d Impact Sel’d Impact
Female 66% 66% 51% 52% 74% 75% 53% 52% 81% 84%
Male 34% 34% 49% 48% 26% 25% 47% 48% 19% 16%
Total 162 113 37 33 34 20 38 23 53 37
Rate of Attrition 30% 11% 41% 39% 30%
Area as % of total
Impact Sample 100% 29% 18% 20% 33%
Generally, my sense from reading the IIDI transcripts was that in rural areas, there were fewer opportunities regarding training, education and jobs, which meant that selected participants were more likely to continue with the project. The results of the different rates of attrition by area were that the rural areas of eMpumalanga and eNtshonalanga each accounted for about one third of the total impact sample each, while the two urban areas (eNingizimu and eNyakatho) each accounted for about one fifth of the total sample (see Table 5-6).
In both the selected and impact samples, women made up two thirds of the sample, indicating an equal likelihood of women and men to drop out of the project. While we were able to include equal numbers of women and men in eNyakatho and eMpumalanga, this was not possible in eNingizimu and eNtshonalanga, where women made up 74% and 81% of the selected sample, respectively. However, the pattern of virtually no gender difference between the selected and impact sample held across all areas. In terms of age, the sample was skewed towards youth due partially to the selection criteria that a third of participants should be unemployed youth aged up to 24 years (with no age restrictions on community activists or the self-employed). Just over half the total sample (55%) were aged up to 24 years and the average age of the sample was 27 years, with ages ranging from 17 to 64.
Overall, there were 10 older women and 2 older men in the impact sample, where older refers to those aged 40 years and above. This indicates a tendency for older women in the urban areas to be more willing and able to participate than older men in urban areas. There was limited interest from older people in rural areas.70
Based on participants’ attendance at the initial- and final-QLAs (regardless of their participation in computer training), Figure 5-7 shows that the proportion of the impact sample attending both the initial- and final-QLAs was greatest in eMpumalanga (85%), followed by eNingizimu and then eNyakatho, with only 59% of eNtshonalanga participants attending both these critical QLAs. The pattern for attendance at computer training is similar, with 94% and 95% of those from eMpumalanga and eNingizimu attending some computer training, while these proportions drop to 74% for eNyakatho and 57% for eNtshonalanga (see Figure 5-8).
70 Appendix I (p327) tables 1 -3 include additional data regarding the CLIQ sample.
Figure 5-8: Participation of impact sample in training Figure 5-7: Participation of impact sample in QLAs
Each area had a unique process, project culture and vibe. Along with issues of
functionality, this impacted on the CLIQ’s implementation of the project and on participant’s involvement in the various scheduled and unscheduled CLIQ activities. The chapter that follows reflects on the CLIQ process in terms of participation and implementation, as well as on the par approach, to lay the basis for an analysis of CLIQ’s findings on impact and
telecentre functionality. Chapter 5 is summarised together with chapter 6, at the end of chapter 6.
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CHAPTER SIX:
ANALYSIS & REFLECTION ON IMPLEMENTATION
6 ANALYSIS AND REFLECTION ON IMPLEMENTATION
The impact of the CLIQ’s research methodology and process on findings is not
relegated to a small paragraph headed limitations of the research as often found in research reports. Rather it is a core part of the findings. My research question focuses on whether a participatory approach to an ICT intervention aimed at improving QoL, fosters
empowerment (see section 1.2, p8). Therefore documenting and reflecting on the
implementation process targeting CLIQ’s three objectives (see section 1.1, p4) is essential to the analysis which informs my findings and conclusions. Reflection on methods and process establishes how these may have affected the data and allows the analysis of data to account for such impact.
While par recognises the impact of outsiders’ activity on local processes and people, it is desirable to limit unwanted impact (such as allowing personal biases to influence views expressed when the activity at hand is seeking local views). Limiting unwanted impact becomes more difficult when pursuing dual goals because some aspects of implementation can promote one goal before another, hence the need for trade-offs (Barahona et al., 2007).
However specific goals can also promote the achievement of other goals within the set.
CLIQ’s second goal of telecentre capacity building assisted the telecentres to become more functional which improved participants’ opportunity to make use of computers (action goal), thereby improving conditions for data collection (research goal).
In this chapter, I consider which aspects of implementation differed from the research design and reasons for this difference. Based on post-field analysis and reflection,
challenges faced during fieldwork and other aspects of implementation, as well as the suitability of a participatory approach to the objectives of CLIQ, are also discussed. The final section uses process data on individual participation in scheduled CLIQ activities to establish a variable indicating level of participation per participant. Based on my experience and analysis of implementation, I use six indicators to establish a ranking of areas in terms of the
quality of implementation. These two variables (level of participation and level of implementation) are used for the quantitative analysis of impact in chapter 7.