Referring to literature on quality of life, freedom of choice and empowerment; Information and Communication Technology for Development (ICT4D); and participatory methodologies, a detailed analysis of CLIQ implementation identifies elements of the research process, methods and ethos that contributed to participants. This thesis concludes by proposing minor adjustments that could improve the CF, including an increase in the CF.
T HE CLIQ P ROJECT
The community report on findings (CLIQ Participants et al., 2011, see plate 1-2), which was prepared primarily for CLIQ participants and participating local stakeholders, provides an overview of the research process, results and recommendations.8 The report presents the participants' rationale. for their altered QoL (not covered by the efficacy and functionality papers mentioned above). I am the lead co-author of both of the above conference papers (and published revisions) as well as the society report.9 The process of writing these.
F INDING F OCUS : R EFLECTING ON A NALYSIS AND A NALYSING R EFLECTIONS
I had initially read the literature on what seemed to be the appropriate topics: QoL, ICT4D and empowerment. With literature on participation and ICT use both as empowering tools for social justice, I was.
C ONSIDERING L ITERATURE OF R ELEVANCE
Following these experiences and with greater insight into relevant theory and previous research on ICT4D, my research question was refined to be as follows: When researching the impact of ICT use on QoL, people can be empowered through their engagement with an opportunity for ICT training, access and use, as facilitated through a people-centred. As a research project, CLIQ falls within the interdisciplinary field ICT4D and CLIQ's research questions necessitate a review of QoL and ICT4D literature.
F OLLOWING THE F LOW OF THIS D OCUMENT
The evidence on the nature of ICT impact on QoL (where material and financial well-being are only part of what is considered to be a good life) is limited (Sey, 2008). The chapter concludes with a summary of participatory methods as well as an overview of the synergies and complementarities between QoL, agency, empowerment, ICT4D and PMs as presented in Chapters 2, 3 and 4.
P RACTICAL I NFORMATION FOR THE R EADER
Nevertheless, the diagrams in this thesis carry an important part of the story of my thesis and not all aspects depicted by visuals are explained in the text. Therefore, the names of the research areas and the organizations directly involved in the management of the telecentre were changed to project the identity of telecentre staff, as well as the participants and other local stakeholders.
H UMAN D EVELOPMENT , W ELL - BEING AND Q UALITY - OF - LIFE
Furthermore, the process that gave rise to different elements or indicators of well-being must also be considered. In their discussion of the selection and measurement of indicators of well-being, Jany-Catrice and Marlier (2013:19) refer to increased concern about environmental issues and the increased heterogeneity of populations as two key challenges for the economic (objective) approach to indicators of well-being.
A GENCY AND E MPOWERMENT
Gaventa's (2006:25) power cube reflects the complexity and dynamic nature of the exercise of power.21 While the power cube represents advances in power modeling that are insightful and practically useful, Rowlands' (1997) four forms of power provide ) a simpler analysis, sufficient for this discussion of empowerment, and furthermore, it is still often referred to in more recent literature on empowerment and agency (see Luttrell and Quiroz, 2009; Samman and Santos, 2009), as well as on empowerment and participatory practice. (see Gaventa and Cornwall, 2008). An increase in self-esteem and self-confidence changes the nature of the interaction between individuals or groups and the environment; a greater sense of agency increases the ability to act in the world, to make changes. It therefore appears that the core qualities are those necessary for the exercise of 'power-to'.
Models of QoL (see e.g. Costanza et al., 2008) and empowerment (see e.g. Rowlands, 1997) accommodate this and the complexity of life by incorporating circularity and flexibility. ICT is a multifaceted phenomenon (Moolman et al., 2007:5), and the Internet itself is not a single technology (Vengerfeldt, 2003:14).
D EMAND : ICT U SE
In the next subsection, the critique of the digital divide reflects the familiar development story of varying levels of access and use of basic services within national populations. A positive effect of the technological concept of DD was that it brought to the fore the basic issues of unequal access and use (van Dijk, 2006:222).
S UPPLY : PAC VENUES
Almost everyone agreed that the presence of the telecentre helped local residents to solve problems and provided a source of news and information. Different periods of ICT use are needed to achieve different levels of impact, depending on the nature of the person and the type of impact.
C ONSOLIDATING C URRENT ICT4D T HEORY
However, a useful aspect of the model is that it illustrates different types of outcomes, outputs and impacts. From my understanding of the CF, Kleine's intention was to identify personal characteristics as those characteristics that are innate to the individual (i.e. genetically determined).
S UMMARY OF ICT4D
The following chapter examines participation and PMs in some detail to illustrate the applicability of a participatory approach to QoL and ICT4D research and development interventions, and to provide an understanding of the process and approach adopted by CLIQ.$$$$$ $$. By presenting the foundations of KMs after criticism, I show that many of the issues.
O RIGINS AND B RANDING
AR Action research PR Participatory research PA Participatory approach PM Participatory methodology PAR Participatory action research. Following Jupp, I call CLIQ's research methodology participatory action research (par), as this is a generic name that describes the context within which the participatory approach was implemented.
C HALLENGES AND C RITIQUES
Challenges and criticisms of PMs are drawn from examples of poor practice, but also from reflection on their practical difficulty. Reflection on practice is a key element of the ethical use of PMs and there are numerous examples of formal and informal reports that provide lessons for the improved use of PMs.
F UNDAMENTAL A SPECTS OF PAR
43 ILS is one of the PMs that Chambers describes as a promising participatory method that developed alongside PRA. Burkey reproduces a list of 14 roles for the change agent and a list of seven characteristics that change agents need (ibid:82).
S UMMARY P ARTICIPATORY M ETHODOLOGIES
C OMBINING PM S WITH ICT S , D EVELOPMENT AND Q O L
As such, they are examples of the practice of participation focusing on LV, ICTs, agency and empowerment. Much of the recent articulation of a human development approach to ICT4D theory is mutually supportive and complementary.
R ESEARCH A REAS AND P ARTICIPATING T ELECENTRES
The telecentre was housed within the local development center (LDC), which was run by the MDCnpo board. The chairman of the eFWS board oversaw the running of the telecentre and was elected.
T HE D ESIGN AND I MPLEMENTATION OF CLIQ
Data on the computer use of eMpumalanga participants show that younger men who lived closer to the telecentre took advantage of the free computer use opportunity the most. The focus was on participants' analysis of the nature and reasons for QoL change.
CLIQ P ARTICIPANTS
In both the selected and impact samples, women made up two-thirds of the sample, indicating an equal probability of women and men dropping out of the project. Based on my experience and analysis of implementation, I use six indicators to rank areas in terms of the.
D EVIATIONS AND A DAPTATIONS
Dev_6 Unable to adhere to computer training schedules, resulting in different time periods for computer use between areas. Delays in computer training had a knock-on effect on the timing of the local QLA to follow the training.
M ETHODOLOGICAL AND F IELDWORK C HALLENGES
Of the 37 eNtshonalanga participants in the impact sample, 14 (or 38%) did not participate in the second initial QLA in early 2009. The tables above are included to indicate the relative prevalence of the different reasons for QoL change and CLIQ impact.
J USTIFICATION FOR M ETHODOLOGICAL C HOICE
P ROJECT VARIABLES FOR SAMPLE DEFINITION AND ANALYSIS
By reflecting on important aspects of the couples process, six performance indicators were identified. Each area was evaluated based on these indicators, and a summary of the results is presented in Table 6-3.
S UMMARY OF F IELDWORK I MPLEMENTATION , A NALYSIS AND R EFLECTION
Due to the continuous and dynamic nature of lived experience, establishing causality between ICT use and changes in well-being is a difficult task. A flowchart illustrates the correlation between the area-based intensity ranking of the intervention (established in section 6.4) and quantitative findings on the impact.
L OCAL I NDICATORS OF Q UALITY - OF -L IFE
An example of the enrichment provided by the application of three perspectives on welfare indicators is a young man whose own business provided illegal electricity connections for others in the area. This is illustrated by the fact that they were not initially considered as indicators of quality of life, suggesting that engagement with ICT, together with repeated discussions about the nature of the 'good life', changed participants' perceptions of well-being and ill-being.
This figure drops to 30% and 15% for those in the CLIQ impact and the CLIQ impact, respectively. He did not return for the final QLA, so the CLIQ impact (if any) is unclear.
F ACTORS A FFECTING P ARTICIPANTS ’ L IVES
However, a brief overview of the remaining factors (see table 7-5, factor 6-10) is given first, because these. An open mind: The experience of searching for information on the web in connection with the project process led to the participants getting more than information.
S UMMARY OF I MPACT
S OCIAL N ORMS , P ERCEPTIONS AND E XPERIENCES
P ERSONAL D ISPOSITION AND H EALTH
O PPORTUNITY C OST : T IME , M ONEY AND E NERGY
T ELECENTRE F UNCTIONALITY
C OMPLEXITY , M ULTI - CAUSALITY AND C ONTINUITY
S UMMARY OF G ATES TO E NGAGEMENT
F RAMING CLIQ P ROCESSES AND F INDINGS : THE I NITIAL CLIQ M ODEL
CLIQ F INDINGS THROUGH THE C HOICE F RAMEWORK
A DDITIONS AND A DAPTATIONS TO THE C HOICE F RAMEWORK
T HE PROCESS OF RESEARCH AND ANALYSIS
M ODELLING ICT4D: DOES THEORY FIT REALITY ?
E NABLING P SYCHOLOGICAL R ESOURCES AND I NNER E MPOWERMENT
F URTHER R EFLECTIONS ON T HEORY
CLIQ stakeholder diagram
With capacity building of telecentres and ICT4D analysis for policy input as two of CLIQ objectives, a paper on telecentre functionality was requested. In summary, the findings on telecentre functionality were that the multiple interconnected problems experienced by telecentres in SA in 2010 were the same as the set documented a decade earlier by.
CLIQ Community Report cover
In the second half of the twentieth century, two fundamental approaches to measuring quality of life emerged. A specific tool is needed to promote ICT use knowledge of the potential advantages and disadvantages of different types of ICT use.
Time Trend using buttons
CI brings together QoL (through locally defined needs and goals for improved well-being); agency and empowerment (as mechanisms to promote social justice, pro-poor development and a better QoL); ICT (as tools to promote empowerment and fulfillment of human needs); and participatory process (as guided by KM principles). CDI started from a vision of how ICTs can empower people and evolved to include a participatory educational approach to advance its goals of transformative education, empowerment and social change (CDI, 2012).
Centre for Digital Inclusion
Reflect circles have proven to be empowering, creating a democratic space for participants to share information, plan and act based on a greater political awareness of power and increased confidence to express themselves. Against the background of numerous telecentre failures (see section 3.2, p44) and extensive criticism of PMs (see section 4.2, p76), the similarities between key features of CDI and ReflectICTs appear to be at the heart of their success.
ReflectICTs
The scope of the theoretical overview in Chapters 2, 3 and 4 does not allow for a review of findings regarding KVL, empowerment, ICT use and the practice of participatory methodologies in SA. My worldview and experiences influenced the design of the CLIQ process, as well as the choice of theory for further analysis of findings.
Map of KwaZulu-Natal showing CLIQ sites
Participant in front of her eMpumalanga home
Local stakeholders in the eMpumalanga research process (in addition to the 33 local CLIQ participants) included the non-profit organization eMpumalanga Development Center (MDCnpo) and P.E.A.C.E. The Department of Social Welfare and PF worked together to set up the LDC and the telecentre, although the equipment for the telecentres was provided by USAASA.
Comparing maps at eNingizimu
Both had social ties to the manager: the young man (who was most interested in things related to the telecentre) was a relative of the telecentre manager, while the young woman (who was extremely interested in computers, telecentre users and the CLIQ project) rented a room in the manager's house. The density of housing in this urban area is not reflected, but the map does show participants' homes in relation to the telecentre.
Mapping in progress at eNyakatho
While many official maps of the eNorth area are available, the map drawn by a group of seven male participants at the start of the fieldwork (see Plate 5-4) provided a local view of the area, showing facilities and landmarks with importance to participants, such as soccer fields, schools, colleges, shops, and taverns (see Figure 5-3). A map of the area drawn by local activists shows the location of the West Suchong Service Center (TSC) in relation to some participants' homes, schools, and local shops (see Figure 5-5).
Thusong Service Centre at eNtshonalanga
Each telecentre had unique operational dynamics related to local social norms and institutions and the practice of power, as well as the skills and personalities of telecentre managers and facilitators. A KT manager (dev center manager)
The CLIQ field team for initial-QLAs
The first phase aimed to skill the participants in basic offline and online computer usage. Action planning to achieve individual goals and additional aspects participants wanted to learn using computers.
Phase 2 computer training at eNingizimu
The sequence of methods and topics reflected the sensitivity of the information required; the relative complexity of the methods and the logical cognitive order that supported participants in goal setting and goal pursuit. These methods also served to guide participants' thoughts about the role that information and communication played in their lives.
IIDIs in progress at eNyakatho
Lunch distribution: On all fieldwork days, CLIQ provided lunch for the CLIQ team and participants using local foods where possible, to contribute to the local economy. This created additional field work for the CLIQ team, and sometimes tension about the validity of the claim to baby sit (both in the field and in the office).
Adapting to the local context, implementation varied across the four areas and these differences together with the context meant that the quality and nature of the CLIQ intervention varied between areas. Fundamental aspects of par (presented in section 4.3, p80) are reflected in the design and subsequent adaptation of the local CLIQ processes.
CLIQ participants
Another two-fifths (41%) mentioned CLIQ impact on their life, although they did not directly associate the impact with any of their reasons for QoL change. Reasons given for QoL change or KLIQ impact can often be classified under at least two factors, because participants' experiences were not unidimensional.
Relaxing in the shade at eMpumalanga
While the best rapport was established with the Mpumalanga participants, there was much evidence of the supportive and empowering nature of the interaction between participants and field workers in the other three areas, as illustrated by. I was able to watch these interactions because some of the participants and field workers were my Facebook friends.
BongaM20 on FaceBook (eNyakatho, 2012)
DinahF21 on FaceBook (eNyakatho, 2012)
The knowledge and insight gained form part of the resource base of those doing the exercise without being captured, analyzed or presented by anyone outside the. Furthermore, by visually capturing their discussion and analysis, a summary of the information was also available for other participants and non-participants to learn from, when the outputs of methods were shared.
Entrepreneurs debate sources of information at eNingizimu
CLIQ did not contribute to the setting up of the project, but used the internet to find information on orphan care that helped her with the project. JabuF20 (who wants to study conservation) felt that the Internet was the most important thing for learning.
Participants review their maps of eMpumalanga
MlamuliM28 on FaceBook (eMpumalanga, 2011)
BathaF21 on FaceBook (eNyakatho, 2011)
