19 research outputs found
Recommended from our members
An archaeological glimpse at NGO identity in South Africa
This paper explores the impact of the econometric/technocratic rationality on Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), investigating how this has shaped their identity in a transitional democracy. Using selected vignettes and snapshots from data collected, the author explores the theory of isomorphism, in an attempt to demonstrate that in a rapidly globalising economic climate, NGOs such as ELET are forced to mimic the institutional cultures of their donors and funders if they are to survive. I argue further that notwithstanding the predilection for institutional isomorphism, NGOs do possess the capacity to subvert the natural progression towards isomorphism by reinventing themselves to become contextually relevant. Finally, the paper argues that while it is perhaps a truism that research agendas are inevitably shaped by neo-liberal global forces, contemporary social theory and sociologically informed empirical research still have an important role to play in making sense of the dynamic relationships between the state, education and civil society.
Recommended from our members
Life-history research: an emancipatory approach to institutional evaluations
Paper presented at the Ninth International Literacy and Education Research Network Conference on Learning, Beijing, China, 16-21JulyDuring the latter part of the 20th century, evaluation research has been characterised by an expansive proliferation of alternative paradigms, each claiming its space as a legitimate research genre. The authors own quest to create a space for an emancipatory approach to institutional evaluations has been simultaneously a rewarding and unsettling experience. This paper reflects on the incursion into the field of institutional biographies, focusing on how to come to terms with what Noel Cough (2002) describes as blind spots and blank spots. To this end, the author explores, in a mode of critical, self-reflexibility, some of the learning and insights, while putting up for scrutiny, some of the unresolved methodological dilemmas. The author explores, by referring to contemporary literature in the field, the epistemological underpinnings framing the narrative method, attempting to understand how it resonates with illuminative and empowerment evaluation. Alluding to vignettes derived from which to disrupt essentialist notions of qualitative research the author brings into the spotlight constructs such as validity and reliability, emotionality and neutrality and the influence of competing voices in research production. This paper problematise and complicate the assumptions that frame the genre with a view to highlighting the potential hazards of the narrative method becoming a "victory narrative within the redemptive culture of the social sciences"
Recommended from our members
"I'm not under-standing"
This article presents the experiences and reflections of a South African educational researcher on a recent field trip to schools in a deep-rural part of the country. The data gathering exercise was part of an evaluation of the "Learning Improvement Project" (LIP), a pseudonym for a donor-funded intervention programme instituted to improve the functionality and academic performance of schools that were victims of the unequal, racially segregated apartheid policies, prior to their abolition in the nineties. The names and places cited in this reflective piece have been fictionalised, but the narrative is constructed from actual data collected.
Recommended from our members
The interface between research and policy dialogue: symbolic or substantive
Paper presented at Kenton and SACHES Conference, Goudini Spa, Worcester, 30 October to 3 Novembe
Recommended from our members
The interface between research and policy dialogue: substantive or symbolic?
Recommended from our members
The use of ICTs in curricula in Botswana, Namibia and Seychelles
Paper presented to DG's (Permanent Secretaries) of Education, Zanzibar, Tanzania, 27 Augus