Assessing Community Telecentres: Guidelines for Researchers

Contents......Page 4
Foreword......Page 8
Executive Summary......Page 10
1.1 Purpose of these guidelines......Page 14
1.2.2 Monitoring, evaluation, and learning......Page 16
1.3 The Evaluation and Learning System for Acacia......Page 17
2.1 Identifying the research questions......Page 18
2.2 Systems approaches to evaluation......Page 22
2.3 Identifying the stakeholders......Page 25
2.4 Evaluation design......Page 27
2.5 Resource planning......Page 30
2.6 Developing an evaluation framework......Page 31
3. Indicators in Telecentre Studies......Page 36
3.1 Developing indicators for telecentre projects......Page 37
3.2 Telecentre performance indicators......Page 42
3.2.1 Basic telecentre parameters......Page 43
3.2.2 Demand for services......Page 44
3.2.3 Service performance......Page 45
3.2.4 User behaviour and perceptions......Page 47
3.3.1 Financial sustainability......Page 49
3.3.2 Policy and regulatory environment......Page 53
3.3.3 Human-resource sustainability......Page 55
3.4 Applications and information content......Page 57
3.4.1 Content-demand indicators......Page 58
3.4.2 Information online......Page 60
3.4.3 Sectoral and local electronic networks......Page 61
3.5 Impact indicators......Page 63
3.5.1 Economic impacts......Page 65
3.5.2 Social impacts......Page 67
3.5.3 Organizational impacts......Page 69
4.1 Guiding principles for data collection in the Acacia Initiative......Page 72
4.2.1 Sampling frame......Page 75
4.2.3 Types of sample......Page 76
4.2.4 Stratification and multistage sampling......Page 77
4.2.6 Sample size......Page 79
4.3 Issues related to surveys......Page 80
4.3.1 Surveys for various purposes......Page 81
4.3.3 Alternatives to community surveys......Page 82
4.3.4 When and why you need community-level data......Page 83
4.3.6 Dealing with nonresponse......Page 84
4.3.7 Mortality in longitudinal surveys......Page 85
4.3.9 From questionnaire to analysis......Page 86
5. Matching Research Methods to Data Needs......Page 88
5.1 Performance reports......Page 89
5.2.1 Choosing a questionnaire format......Page 91
5.2.2 Selecting between alternative question formats......Page 94
5.2.3 Putting them together......Page 96
5.3.1 Adjective checklists......Page 97
5.3.2 Sentence-completion tests......Page 98
5.3.3 Scenarios......Page 99
5.4 Attitude scales......Page 100
5.5 Observation techniques......Page 101
5.6.1 Focus-group techniques......Page 103
5.6.2 Nominal-group techniques......Page 104
5.7 Participatory and self-assessment approaches......Page 105
5.8 Household budgets and diaries......Page 108
6.2 Implications for analysis......Page 110
6.2.2 Coding categories......Page 111
6.2.3 Questions to review before analysis begins......Page 112
6.2.5 Computer statistical programs and common sense......Page 113
6.3 Acacia Stakeholder Information System......Page 114
6.3.3 Telecentre operators\' forum......Page 115
6.3.5 International partners......Page 116
6.3.6 Local stakeholders......Page 117
6.4 The Evaluation and Learning System for Acacia......Page 118
Abbreviations and Acronyms......Page 120
Cited references......Page 122
Further reading......Page 124