The growth of ICT4D:impact in educational system in developing countries

Abstract. Problems in developing countries have been an issue for a long time. ICT4D was initiated to solve these problems, at least to ease the current problems to make living standard a bit better. ICT4D stands for information and communication for development, which uses advanced technology to bring opportunities for the people in many fields, such as in education. The term “developing countries” is hard to define, since it is defined by people from developed countries, but in this thesis, I will go through the definition and variables that defines the term. People think that money could solve the problem, but in fact it cannot stop the problems, but by using it to educate people, we can make use of the knowledge learned and thus improve people’s future. In this thesis, I will introduce ICT4D and the evolution of ICT4D, what kind of changes it has gone through to become what it is now. I will also define developing countries from few points of views and also defining human development index (HDI) and means for a better living standard. Next, I will talk about the education and how it could improve the living standard when implementing it properly and how ICT4D is having and could have an impact on the education in developing countries. Also, I will introduce few challenges that could be problematic but not impossible to solve and how huge of a digital divide is between developing and development countries. All of these affect the educational system in developing countries, and is considered as a highly important matters in digital economy, fortunately we have many movements such as ICT4D to tackle these issuesTiivistelmä. Kehitysmaiden ongelmat ovat olleet keskusteluaiheena jo pitkään. ICT4D-liike pantiin alulle ratkaisemaan näitä ongelmia tai ainakin helpottamaan nykyisiä ongelmia parantaakseen ihmisten elintasoa hieman paremmaksi. ICT4D tarkoittaa “tietoa ja viestintää kehitykselle”, jonka tarkoituksena on käyttää edistynyttä teknologiaa tarjoamaan mahdollisuuksia ihmisille monilla aloilla, kuten koulutusaloilla. “Kehitysmaat” käsitteenä on vaikea määritellä, sillä sana “kehitysmaat” ovat määritelleet maat, joissa teknologia on nykyaikaista ja arkipäiväistä. Tässä opinnäytetyössä käyn kuitenkin läpi ne muuttujat, jotka määrittelevät kyseisen termin. Monet ajattelevat, että raha voisi ratkaista näitä ongelmia, mutta tämä ei kuitenkaan ole totta, vaikkakin ongelmat helpottuvat hetkeksi, ongelma on vielä olemassa. Vain kouluttamalla ihmisiä ja hyödyntämällä nykyteknologiaa ja oppimaamme tietoa, voimme ratkaista ongelmia kehitysmaissa. Tässä työssä käyn läpi termin ICT4D:n ja sen evoluution, sekä millaisia ​​muutoksia se on käynyt läpi tullakseen sellaiseksi kuin se nyt on. Aion määritellä myös kehitysmaat muutamasta näkökulmasta ja myös inhimillisen kehityksen indeksin (HDI) ja keinoja paremman elintason saavuttamiseksi. Seuraavaksi opinnäytetyössäni puhun koulutuksesta ja kuinka se voisi parantaa kehitysmaiden elintasoa, kun sitä pannaan täytäntöön sopivalla tavalla ja miten ICT4D voi vaikuttaa kehitysmaiden koulutukseen. Aion myös esitellä muutamia haasteita, jotka voivat olla ongelmallisia, mutta joita ei ole mahdotonta ratkaista, ja miten valtava digitaalinen kuilu on kehittyneiden maiden ja kehitysmaiden välillä. Kaikki mainitut asiat vaikuttavat kehitysmaiden koulutusjärjestelmään, ja näitä pidetään erittäin tärkeänä digitaalitalouden aikana, onneksemme meillä on monia liikkeitä, kuten ICT4D, jotka ovat valmiita ratkaisemaan näitä ongelmia

Online social systems, social actions, and politics: a narrative analysis of the role of social media in revolutionary political change

One of the demonstrators during the 2011 Egyptian revolution tweeted “We use Facebook to schedule the protests, Twitter to coordinate, and YouTube to tell the world,” thus acknowledging and establishing the fundamental role of social media in the political unrest and revolution against the regime in Egypt. Information Systems (IS) have been recognized as an important vehicle for national progress, social movement and political change (Majchrzak et al., 2013; Oh et. al., 2015; Oh et al., 2013). Contemporary social and political changes highlight new forms of social movement that are taking place using Information and Communications Technology or Information Systems, specifically social media. While social and political scientists as well as information systems researchers have studied social movements for a number of years, the majority of these studies has explored the role of ICT on activism and social movements in the Western world. Yet, the political implications of these technologies in the context of authoritarian and repressive political systems remain relatively under-researched and need further development (Breuer et al., 2012). In addition, studies in the IS discipline addressing the role of information systems in general, and social media in particular, in the context of revolutionary political change as has happened in the Case of 2011 Egyptian revolution are limited (Greengard, 2009; Maghrabi & Salam, 2013; Majchrzak et al., 2013; Oh et al., 2015; Oh et al., 2013; Wattal et al., 2010). Majchrzak et al. (2013) states that “the time has come to assess the evidence about ICT’s social consequences and to develop better theories about the precise nature of the role of ICT in complex social problems” (p.1). Using narrative research approach, we explore the relationship among social media, social movement, and rapid revolutionary political change by focusing on the role played by social media, particularly Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, in the context of the 2011 Egyptian revolution that led to the fall of authoritarian Mubarak regime. More specifically, our narrative research aims to understand and generate a theoretical explanation of the process by which social media influences online activism and shapes social movement collective interpretation for revolutionary political change. Narrative analysis is used to examine how social media offers a platform that facilitates social movement process to develop and affect social actions in the context of rapid revolutionary political change. Through the perspective of our study, we highlight the unique characteristics of social media that are driven, not by technology in isolation, but by the bond between technological attributes and characteristics of the social systems. The process and narrative approach offer a sophisticated, multi-dimensional, and holistic analysis that avoid a narrow focus on individual dimensions of the phenomenon. The findings of our study provide a narrative that offers a meaningful explanation of the process in which citizen social movements evolve through social media. Our narrative analysis of citizen social movement process revealed five distinct phases preceding the political change. These phases highlight the unique nature and activities of each stage of the social movement development, and the different roles played by social media throughout social movement process. Further, the emphasis on temporality, which is a key characteristic of narrative methods, revealed different important aspects of social media role in rapid revolutionary political change. Exploring the impact of social media in particular, and ICT in general, on social and rapid political change is an important area for research in information systems due to the emerging role of IS in politics across the globe, and the importance of political environment to business and economies. In this broader sense, this study of social media contributes to IS discipline by expounding on the role of social media in revolutionary social movement and its influence on, and being influenced by, the larger political context. One of the larger contribution of this research is to lay the foundation for IS scholars to further investigate the larger role of Information Systems and Technologies in our social and political systems both for the benefit of business organizations as well as for the larger society

Information society in Palestine : the human capital dimension

Includes CD-ROM in back pocke

The Palestinian Shahid and the development of the model 21st century Islamic terrorist

The purpose of this study seeks to uncover the relationship between the political objectives of the primary Palestinian political entities, the methods used by those entities to pursue their goals, and the socio-cultural fluctuation vis-á-vis the acceptability of, and participation in, suicide terrorism that has occured as a result

Students’ Exposure to Political News on the Internet and Political Awareness: A Comparison between Germany and Egypt

The recent political events in Egypt, Libya, Yemen, and Tunisia (2011) have confirmed the key role of social networks (SNSs), as well as online political news in supporting citizens with their self-determination. Furthermore, “changes in the media landscape present new challenges for scholars interested in the relationship between the media and civil society. Additionally, the explosion of the Internet that started in advanced democracies and has spread through much of the globe provides new and unexplored pathways for communication. Moreover, the inclusion of the Internet in the media environment raises new questions for citizens, politicians, researchers, journalists, and government” (Oates, Owen & Gibson, 2006, p. 1). This study looks at the relationships between young people’s exposure to political news on the Internet and their political awareness. It develops and applies an index for political participation composed of several variables measuring political interest, discussion, knowledge, and participation. The survey among students in both countries was administered in Arabic and German, while the master questionnaire was developed in English. The survey was conducted between April and June 2010 in Egypt at Minia University and in Germany at Technical university of Dresden. The sample size was 1000 (500 in each country) students from several departments representing different academic fields: three departments of Engineering, three departments of Humanities and Social Science, and finally three departments of Natural Science. The study’s main research question was: “What is the impact of students’ exposure to political news on the Internet on their political awareness and civic activities?” The researcher started from the hypothesis that heavy use of political news on the Internet is positively related to political awareness. A further research question aimed at gauging the role of intervening variables such as gender and field of study for the relationship between the use of political news on the Internet and the level of political awareness. Results show that there is a positive relationship between using political online news and political awareness. German students’ political awareness for German students was higher than Egypt student’s political awareness (M=63.02, SD=15.65, comparing to M=45.72, SD= 17.65 for Egyptians).:Table of Contents: ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS II ABSTRACT III TABLE OF CONTENTS IV INTRODUCTION 1 CHAPTER 1 POLITICAL COMMUNICATION IN THE LIFE OF YOUNG PEOPLE……………………………………………………………………………...8 1.1 INTRODUCTION TO POLITICAL COMMUNICATION 8 1.2. POLITICAL MEDIA USES AND EFFECTS IN THE LIFE OF YOUNG PEOPLE 10 1.3. THE ROLE OF POLITICAL COMMUNICATION IN ELECTION CAMPAIGNS 12 1.4. THE LITERATURE UP TO NOW IN THIS AREA 14 1.5 RESEARCH QUESTIONS AND HYPOTHESIS 18 1.5.1 RESEARCH QUESTIONS 18 1.5.2 RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS 18 CHAPTER 2: CHANGING COMMUNICATION ENVIRONMENT THROUGH THE INTERNET AGE ……………..20 2.1 INTRODUCTION 20 2.2 INTERNET HISTORY AND DEVELOPMENT 20 2.3 STRUCTURE, FEATURES AND PHENOMENA OF THE INTERNET 23 2.3.1 MANY TO MANY COMMUNICATION 23 2.3.2 INTERACTIVITY 34 2.3.3 CREDIBILITY 28 2.4 SOCIAL NETWORK (SNSS) 30 2.4.1 SOCIAL NETWORK; DEFINITION, HISTORY, AND DEVELOPMENT 30 2.4.2 SOCIAL NETWORK (SNSS); USERS, CHARACTERISTICS AND FEATURES 32 2.4. 3 BLOGS 35 2.5 INTERNET USE 38 2.5.1 GENERAL TRENDS 38 2.5.2. SOCIODEMOGRAPHIC VARIABLES AND –INTERNET USE 40 2.6. SOCIAL NETWORK AND POLITICAL TRANSFORMATION IN EGYPT 44 2.7 CONCLUSION 47 CHAPTER 3 POLITICAL AWARENESS AND RELATED CONSTRUCTS……….. 49 3.1 INTRODUCTION 49 3.2 POLITICAL COGNITIONS 50 3.3 POLITICAL INTEREST 51 3.4 POLITICAL KNOWLEDGE 52 3.4.1. MEASURING OF POLITICAL KNOWLEDGE 53 3.4.2 MEDIA USE AND POLITICAL KNOWLEDGE 54 3.5. POLITICAL EFFICACY 56 3.5.1 DEFINITION 56 3.5.2. MEASURINGOF POLITICAL EFFICACY 58 3.6. POLITICAL PARTICIPATION 59 3.6.1. THE INFLUENCE OF MEDIA ON POLITICAL PARTICIPATION 61 3.6.2. MEASURING OF POLITICAL PARTICIPATION 62 3.6.3 VOTING 63 3.7. POLITICAL DISCOURSE 66 3.8. POLITICAL AWARENESS 67 3.8.1. CONCLUSION ON THE OPERATIONALIZATION 68 3.8.2. MASS MEDIA AND POLITICAL AWARENESS 70 CHAPTER4: THE POLITICAL AND MEDIA SYSTEMS IN GERMANY AND EGYPT 71 4.1. EGYPTIAN POLITICAL SYSTEM 71 4.2. EGYPTIAN MEDIA SYSTEM 72 4.2.1 HISTORY AND POLITICAL FRAMEWORK 72 4.2.2 THE EGYPTIAN PRESS 75 4.2.3. RADIO AND TV UNION 77 4.2.4 OTHER MEDIA OUTLETS 97 4.3. GERMANY MEDIA SYSTEM AND POLITICAL SYSTEM 81 4.4. GERMANY MEDIA SYSTEM 82 4.4.1 HISTORY AND POLITICAL FRAMEWORK 82 4.4.2 THE GERMANY PRESS 83 4.4.3. RADIO AND TV UNION 84 4.4.4. OTHER MEDIA OUTLETS 85 5.1. CONCLUSION 85 CHAPTER 5: METHODS ………87 5.1. SAMPLE 87 5.2. QUESTIONNAIRE DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT 88 5.3. FIELDWORK AND DATA COLLECTION PROCEDURE 89 5.3.1 DEPENDENT VARIABLES 89 5.3.2. INDEPENDENT VARIABLE (IV’S) 91 5.4. DATA ANALYSIS …92 5.5. VALIDITY AND RELIABILITY OF MEASURES.. 93 5.5.1 VALIDITY 93 5.5.2 RELIABILITY 94 CHAPTER 6: RESULTS COMPARING EGYPTIAN AND GERMANY UNIVERSITY STUDENT’S ….95 6.1 POLITICAL AND SOCIAL CONDITIONS OF MEDIA USE 95 6.1.1 POLITICAL FREEDOM 95 6.1.2 TECHNICAL ACCESS TO INTERNET 98 6.1.3 THE DIGITAL DIVIDE 98 6.2. GENERAL MEDIA EXPOSURE 101 6.2.1 TRADITIONAL OR NEW MEDIA PLATFORM? 102 6.2.2 WHERE AND WHEN DO YOUNG PEOPLE USE THE INTERNET? 104 6.3 EXPOSURES TO POLITICAL MEDIA CONTENT 106 6.3.1 ACCESSING POLITICAL INFORMATION ONLINE 107 6.3.2. THE AMOUNT OF ONLINE COVERAGE OF POLITICAL NEWS 109 6.3.3 CONFIDENCE AND ACCURATE PICTURE OF ONLINE POLITICAL NEWS 110 6.4 POLITICAL AWARENESS 111 6.4.1 POLITICAL INTEREST 111 6.4.2 POLITICAL DISCUSSION 113 6.4.3. POLITICAL KNOWLEDGE 113 6.4.4 POLITICAL PARTICIPATION 116 6.5. INTERNET USE AND POLITICAL AWARENESS 119 CHAPTER 7: SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION IN LIGHT OF THEORY AND HYPOTHESIS 126 8. RECOMMENDATIONS 129 9. REFERENCES 130 APPENDICES. 145 A/QUESTIONNAIRE IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE 145 B/QUESTIONNAIRE IN GERMAN LANGUAGE 155 C/QUESTIONNAIRE IN ARABIC LANGUAGE 166 APPENDIX. D. AGREEMENT LETTER TO APPLY QUESTIONNAIRE IN EGYPT FROM CENTRAL AGENCY FOR PUBLIC MOBILIZATION AND STATISTICS 175 APPENDIX. E. LIST OF TABLES 17

The impact of contextual factors on the implementation of the e-education policy in previously disadvantaged areas in Cape Town: the teachers perspective

Despite the fact that it has been established that contextual factors affect implementation and implementation outcomes of ICT projects, there is a dearth of information on the impact of contextual factors on the implementation of the white paper in e-education in schools in previously disadvantaged areas in South Africa. To fill this gap, this study investigated how contextual factors affected the implementation and implementation outcomes of the white paper in e-education in schools in previously disadvantaged areas. In addition, the study sought to evaluate if these interventions added value to the teachers work. This study adopted a critical interpretivist approach and used the contextual interaction theory to guide the investigation. The research data was obtained through semi structured interviews with teachers and school management staff of public schools in previously disadvantaged areas in Cape Town, a panel discussion and review of the pertinent policy documents on Information Communication and Technology implementation in South African government schools. The findings of the study show that the implementation context, the history of the implementers, interactions between the policy actors and other issues that are in no way related to the implementation process affected the implementation process and outcomes. Furthermore, the implementation process was wrought with high degrees of ambiguity which is typical in public sector ICT policy implementation. The study also shows that there is need to have measures to evaluate ICT policy implementation which take into consideration the context in which the project exists and the perception of the intended recipients about the success or failure of the implementation. It is hoped that the results will assist those who carry out ICT implementation projects in disadvantaged areas in South Africa and similar context elsewhere insights into the implementation dynamics which can affect implementation outcomes. This thesis contributes to the knowledge base for effective implementation of e-policies, particularly in contexts such as previously disadvantaged areas by pointing out contextual issues and factors that mitigate against implementation efforts. The thesis also reveals practical implications for policy makers by highlighting the need for policies to be based on valid assumptions and be suitable to implementation contexts reflecting the needs, understandings and social realities of primary beneficiaries

Advances in Cultural Heritage Studies : Year 2020 : Contributions of the European Students’ Association for Cultural Heritage

The announcement of the creation of a European Year of Cultural Heritage (year 2018) – by the Decision 2017/864 of the European Parliament – encouraged the creation, in 2017, of the European Students’ Association for Cultural Heritage (ESACH). ESACH has become the first still-growing interdisciplinary and cross- -generational network in the field. Currently brings together young researchers and researchers at early stages of their careers, in the fields of culture and heritage, from all kinds of academic disciplines and is made up of members from various European universities and research centres (see www.esach.org). Within the network, the main questions are: How do we engage with the past elements of our culture(s)? How and why do we protect culture as a genuine element of a contemporary cultural system? What do younger generations state as heritage and what ways do they see to safeguard and experience it? ESACH stands up for a participatory way of involvement and is eager to take part in the cultural discourse at European and national levels. Since ESACHS’ foundation, the Portuguese publisher Mazu Press (www.mazupress.com) has been associated with the initiatives of the Portuguese branch of ESACH based in Lisbon (Sharing Heritage Lisbon), firstly with the promotion actions and then with the publication of the book “New Perspectives in Interdisciplinary Cultural Heritage Studies. Contributions of the European Students’ Association for Cultural Heritage in the European Year of Cultural Heritage 2018”. In this atypical Covid-19 pandemic year, Mazu Press again invited ESACH to join the renewed idea of “unifying through Cultural Heritage”, creating the opportunity for all to associate their efforts to this volume of “Advances in Cultural Heritage Studies, Year 2020”. Until now, ESACH members have been given the opportunity to contribute their ideas in several European events organized by the respective stakeholders, such as the Genoa Meeting, in October 2019, which had the cultural, logistic and financial support of the University of Genoa and foremost the PhD Course in Study and Enhancement of the Historical, Artistic-Architectural and Environmental Heritage. This book brings together twenty chapters by twenty four authors from Canada, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain and Turkey. This sharing of knowledge, culture and heritage studies, through various disciplines, shows the richness – advances and new perspectives – generated by the common passion for cultural heritage.Mazutech R&D; Università di Genova / Scuola di Scienze Umanistiche / Dottorato in Studio e Valorizzazione del Patrimonio Storico, Artistico-Architettonico e Ambientaleinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

The Factors Contributing to Patriarchy in Contemporary Rural Bangladesh

This study examines factors that have contributed to the persistence of patriarchy in rural Bangladesh. Patriarchy is a social structure and practice in which men have power and privilege over women, subjecting them to various forms of oppression and exploitation. Previous studies have claimed that government and NGO-led development policies promote gender equality by improving women's access to education, microfinance, employment, political representation, and legal protections. Government and NGO-led development initiatives have improved women’s socioeconomic conditions in Bangladesh. However, gender inequality and discrimination against women remain prevalent. I argue that discriminatory cultural practices such as child marriage, dowry, and domestic violence uphold patriarchy, which perpetuates gender inequality in rural Bangladesh. This study employs ethnographic research, unstructured interviews, and participant observation to examine views held by Bangladesh’s rural population regarding discriminatory cultural practices. The findings of this thesis indicate that local sociocultural contexts determine women's empowerment in Bangladesh. Patriarchal gender norms, conservative Islamic views, and social acceptance of gender-based discrimination perpetuate gender inequality in rural Bangladesh. Rural women's economic and social stability is primarily derived from patrilocal marriage, which upholds their subjugation. Moreover, conservative gender norms and discriminatory Muslim personal laws continue to govern Muslim women's family and social status, despite their rising socioeconomic participation. Since 1975, political parties have countered weak electoral legitimacy and justified their hold on political power, by cultivating ties to conservative Islamic groups and emphasising party commitment to Islam, in line with societal norms and expectations. They have sought to maintain a balance between the role of modernisers (i.e., involving women in socioeconomic activities) and the incorporation of gender discrimination into the National Women's Development Policy, family laws, and laws around child marriage and dowry prohibition. In addition, the government refuses to challenge conservative voices that promote child marriage, wedding gifts (typically dowry), and domestic violence. Profit-driven microfinance NGOs and legal system corruption further limit women's protection against such patriarchal traditions. Based on these findings, this thesis argues that locally driven development policies involving conservative Islamic groups can advance gender equality in rural Bangladesh by shifting community support towards the promotion of women's rights