This paper examines gatekeeping phenomena and processes in the production of an Early Childhood Development (ECD) Short Messages Service (SMS’s) for caregivers of young children. This paper forms part of a broader PhD study of an... more
This paper examines gatekeeping phenomena and processes in the production of an Early Childhood Development (ECD) Short Messages Service (SMS’s) for caregivers of young children. This paper forms part of a broader PhD study of an m-learning parenting programme which demonstrates a directly beneficial relationship between caregivers, children, and text-messaging information. The broader study builds on the relationship between adult education theory, change theory and communications theory. In this paper the interrelated notions of ‘publics’ (Warner, 2002), ‘gates’ and ‘gatekeeping’ (Bruns, 2008) are in focus. An action research design was adopted whereby the writing team could test and refine the SMS curriculum based on feedback from case study mothers. Rich qualitative information was collected from the primary beneficiaries of the service in order to improve and develop the SMS curriculum. The data collection included SMS responses, home visits, questionnaires, photographs and short videos. The study was endorsed by the National Department of Health, approved by five provincial Departments of Health, and undertaken under the ethical clearance number: 2017-038 of the University of Johannesburg’s Faculty of Education. The study provides a thick description of the processes undertaken, and the gatekeeping phenomena experienced, in the development of an ECD SMS curriculum. Ways of being receptive to feedback and relevant to the lives of mothers receiving the child grant are discussed. Mothers and caregivers can participate in development of parenting programmes which use SMS’s as a critical mobile platform for adult education. This paper may be of interest to government actors, curriculum designers, and implementers of ECD parenting programmes which seek to send parents systematic information about child development processes. Parents and caregivers are the first teachers of young children; and hence a key part of transforming teacher education in the early years.
This paper examines the engagement processes of a ~900 caregivers of young children receiving an Early Childhood Development (ECD) Short Messages Service (SMS’s) in English, Afrikaans or isiXhosa. In this paper the concepts of m-learning... more
This paper examines the engagement processes of a ~900 caregivers of young children receiving an Early Childhood Development (ECD) Short Messages Service (SMS’s) in English, Afrikaans or isiXhosa. In this paper the concepts of m-learning ‘engagement’ related to ‘uptake’ and ‘use’ as adopted by Roberts & Vänskä (2011) are applied. An experimental design was adopted where the target group was assigned to either a treatment group (receiving three messages per week), or a control group (receiving one message per fortnight). A pre-test and post-test survey was administered at the baseline (prior to the 6-month message service intervention), and repeated at the endline. Two additional measures of engagement were obtained: The responses to fortnightly questions posed to both treatment and control groups, and the opportunities presented fortnightly to the treatment group to request additional information. The data is analysed using descriptive statistics and factor analysis. The study was endorsed by the National Department of Health, approved by five provincial Departments of Health, and undertaken under the ethical clearance number: 2017-038 of the University of Johannesburg’s Faculty of Education. The study provides quantitative evidence of how the caregivers engaged with the m-learning parenting service and reports on measurable shifts in attitudes and beliefs as well as knowledge about early childhood development. This paper may be of interest to government actors, curriculum designers, and implementers of ECD parenting programmes. Parents and caregivers are the first teachers of young children; and hence a key part of transforming teacher education in the early years.
ChildConnect is a messaging service which aims to use mobile learning to support and educate parents and caregivers through an SMS curriculum of Early Childhood Development content. This paper reports on initial uptake and subsequent... more
ChildConnect is a messaging service which aims to use mobile learning to support and educate parents and caregivers through an SMS curriculum of Early Childhood Development content. This paper reports on initial uptake and subsequent engagement with the ChildConnect messages. An experimental design was adopted where caregivers were randomly assigned to either a treatment or a control group. The uptake for ChildConnect from those targeted via public clinic data on pregnant women was 24%, this increased to 66% for secondary caregivers invited to join the service by a primary caregiver. Engagement was measured in terms of appetite, as well as in terms of response rates to both unincentivised and incentivised opportunities to engage. For both control and treatment groups there was clear appetite to receive more than three messages per week, with most (~78%) participants indicating that they would like to receive messages every day or every weekday. Three incentivised surveys (midline 1, midline 2 and endline) were completed by 72%, 70% and 69% of participants respectively. Between 25−55% of participants in the treatment group responded to unincentivised weekly ‘reply’ messages. Higher response rates were seen for the control group who received fewer messages and only fortnightly opportunities to reply.
Purpose – The paper aims to identify issues in broadcasting and telecommunications regulation and law arising from technological convergence and to suggest a new framework for an integrated approach to policy and regulation.... more
Purpose – The paper aims to identify issues in broadcasting and telecommunications regulation and law arising from technological convergence and to suggest a new framework for an integrated approach to policy and regulation.
Design/methodology/approach – A set of South African laws, regulations, bills and policy papers is reviewed to establish to what extent they promote, or at least adapt to, technological convergence using three tests: technological neutrality, integration of policy processes and a “level playing field” for competition.
Findings – It is suggested that current law and regulation fails to meet the South African Government's stated aim of promoting convergence. It is suggested that a reason for this may be the difference in the public interest “rationales” for broadcasting and telecommunications regulation, with the former being largely social and political and the latter largely economic. A new paradigm based on the constitutional principle of freedom of expression is suggested as providing a means of establishing a neutral public interest framework for developing and adapting regulation under conditions of technological convergence.
Research limitations/implications – The research methodology is qualitative. Further research on the economic, social and political welfare costs of regulatory failures to adapt to convergence may be helpful in informing policy, legal and regulatory debates in the future.
Originality/value – This paper suggests a new rights-based means of direct comparison of public interest costs and benefits across broadcasting and telecommunications using a principle that is present in the South African constitution as well as in international law.
The New Wave report describes Internet use in South Africa based on nationally representative survey of 1,589 adults. One of the most exciting findings of the South African Network Society Survey is that the profile of Internet users has... more
The New Wave report describes Internet use in South Africa based on nationally representative survey of 1,589 adults. One of the most exciting findings of the South African Network Society Survey is that the profile of Internet users has changed. Many Internet users are on very low incomes. In spite of the poor fixed-line infrastructure in South Arica, people are managing to connect using their mobile phones. But our research show they are also utilising increased opportunities to connect in schools and colleges, and inInternet Caes. We are calling this the New Wave because this change in who uses the Internet and how they connect offers the prospect of changing what happens on it - changing its content and even its purpose.
How effective can the internet be as a tool to combat corruption? The potential is exciting: applying approaches such as crowdsourcing and data-mining; exploiting the power of social networking services and creating platforms to increase... more
How effective can the internet be as a tool to combat corruption? The potential is exciting: applying approaches such as crowdsourcing and data-mining; exploiting the power of social networking services and creating platforms to increase accountability and transparency . But the challenges of using the internet, especially for countries in the South, are also daunting: poor information and communica- tions technology (ICT) infrastructures; restricted access to state data; risks to whistleblowers and re- source and skills constraints . Online anti-corruption initiatives are relatively new, and understanding how these pioneers are utilising the potential of the internet may help in mapping out future directions for developing and scaling up these initiatives . The author reports on a major anti-corruption initiative in South Africa that, from its inception has placed significant priority in using the Internet as a central tool in its practice. The paper finds that the range and complexity of the organisation’s ambition and its analysis of the complex problem of corruption imply a corresponding complexity in how it uses the internet and other communication tools . While data is valuable in itself, the organisation’s strategies require doing much more than gathering and publicising data . It aims to build a network of partners capable of taking action on the reports it receives and holding prosecuting agencies accountable . It also aims to use online platforms as a means of encouraging and organising action – as organisations such as Avaaz .org have done successfully . This will require further development of the online tools it uses in the future .
Report on study of the selection of digital tools by 38 'civic tech' initiatives in governance, transparency and accountability in South Africa and Kenya. The study finds that many initiatives found that the tools selected did not meet... more
Report on study of the selection of digital tools by 38 'civic tech' initiatives in governance, transparency and accountability in South Africa and Kenya. The study finds that many initiatives found that the tools selected did not meet expectations for various reasons including lack of uptake by intended users. The authors make recommendations for improving tool selection and propose six heuristics or 'rules of thumb' for practitioners.
Information and communications technologies (ICTs) and data play an increasingly visible role in transparency and accountability initiatives (TAIs). There has been little research on how the selection of ICT tools influences the success... more
Information and communications technologies (ICTs) and data play an increasingly visible role in transparency and accountability initiatives (TAIs). There has been little research on how the selection of ICT tools influences the success of these initiatives. This article reports on research into TAI tool selection processes in South Africa and Kenya. Findings suggest that in many cases, tools are chosen with only limited testing of their appropriateness for the intended users in the intended contexts, despite widespread recognition among practitioners, funders and researchers that this carries significant efficiency and sustainability risks. We conclude by suggesting a strategy for increasing investment and effort in tool selection, in order to conserve overall project resources and minimise the risk of failure.
Review of Robin Mansell, Imagining the Internet: Communication, Innovation, and Governance, Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, 2012. Are we facing the danger of the Internet running out of all human control or, rather, are we facing... more
Review of Robin Mansell, Imagining the Internet: Communication, Innovation, and Governance, Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, 2012.
Are we facing the danger of the Internet running out of all human control or, rather, are we facing the threat of an Internet panopticon? In Imagining the Internet, Robin Mansell argues that what we actually face is a “complexity paradox” where both dangers may be true. We are trapped, she argues, by an imaginative failure that is undermining our ability to mitigate either risk.
Expanding mobile networks and falling costs could transform communication between African citizens and governments. So far, however, attempts to harness new technologies to improve transparency and accountability in Africa and elsewhere... more
Expanding mobile networks and falling costs could transform communication between African citizens and governments. So far, however, attempts to harness new technologies to improve transparency and accountability in Africa and elsewhere have had disappointing results. What is going wrong? Research suggests that an important reason for this failure is a poor understanding of technologies and limited skills in developing and using them. It seems that civil society organisations (CSOs) and governments often ‘re-invent the flat tyre’: experimenting with new tools without finding out what has been tried (often unsuccessfully) before. They also do not follow best practices in how to source, develop and test technologies to ensure these are ‘fit for purpose’. Decision makers should focus on building an effective innovation ecosystem with better links between technologists and accountability actors in both government and civil society to enable learning from successes – and mistakes.
Many governments, international agencies and civil society organisations (CSOs) support and promote open data. Most open government data initiatives have focused on supply – creating portals and publishing information. But much less... more
Many governments, international agencies and civil society organisations (CSOs) support and promote open data. Most open government data initiatives have focused on supply – creating portals and publishing information. But much less attention has been given to demand – understanding data needs and nurturing engagement. This research examines the demand for open data in South Africa, and asks under what conditions meeting this demand might influence accountability. Recognising that not all open data projects are developed for accountability reasons, it also examines barriers to using government data for accountability processes. To explore these issues, the researchers identified and tested ‘use stories’ and ‘use cases’. How did a range of civil society groups with an established interest in holding local government accountable use – or imagine that they could use – data in their work? The researchers identified ten broad types of open data use, which they divided into two streams: ‘strategy and planning’ – in which CSOs used government data internally to guide their own actions; and ‘monitoring, mobilising and advocacy’ – in which CSOs used data in outward-facing activities. The use stories show that there is demand for government data, and varied opportunities for using it. They suggest that local and national civil society organisations can be important intermediaries, utilising open data in accountability processes. As one participant expressed it: “I could use this information as ammunition, when challenging the municipalities”. But there are also challenges and obstacles that organisations face in sourcing, understanding and using government data. These include: availability of, access to and trust in data; appropriate modes of communicating data; the role of data in accountability processes; and interpreting data. The experiences of the participants suggest that a significant gap exists between open data supply and open data demand. Decisions about which data to make open need to be based on demand. In particular, local data needs to be available, and at the local level and needs to include much more data about government services and decision-making processes. The way data is presented also needs to take account of the ways users want to use it. The researchers conclude that national-level open data portals are likely to be only one part of the solution. The demand for open data is part of a wider demand for effective and informed dialogue – open government may require more open government people, as well as more open data.
Phones are now reaching those on low incomes, those in rural areas,and those on the edges of, or outside, formal economies. We call these people the ‘less connected’ and in South Africa, they are a very large group. Our research sought to... more
Phones are now reaching those on low incomes, those in rural areas,and those on the edges of, or outside, formal economies. We call these people the ‘less connected’ and in South Africa, they are a very large group. Our research sought to explore what kind of experiences of being connected these people have, and what role the mobile phone plays in their everyday lives. To do this, we developed a new diary interview method to construct the mobile diaries of more than 80 people in three locations in urban and rural South Africa. Each diary is an account of one particular day: the day before we interviewed them, or ‘yesterday’ – Izolo in isiXhosa and isiZulu, two of South Africa’s most commonly spoken indigenous languages. The diaries show that mobile phones are a vital part of these people’s lives. They use them to stay in touch with close friends, children, parents and intimate partners; to manage their finances and to earn an income; to share local news; to listen to music and radio, and to take, store and view videos and photographs. However, the diaries also suggest that the communication links between the less connected and the wider world are fragile, and mobile phones are used only with complex and frugal management.
Journalism schools and departments are faced with a number of challenges in adapting their curricula to meet the demands of a changing professional media landscape. One approach is to add new courses – in online journalism, citizen... more
Journalism schools and departments are faced with a number of challenges in adapting their curricula to meet the demands of a changing professional media landscape. One approach is to add new courses – in online journalism, citizen journalism, television journalism, radio journalism etc. The more radical, and the authors suggest, the necessary approach, is to re-think the way we teach journalism. This should be based on the reality that we are uncertain of future technologies and how journalists will use them, and the likelihood that future journalists may find that not only the range of media workplaces but the operational structures of those workplaces may change and vary greatly. Teaching needs to impart skills and values common to all journalism practice, and inculcate a flexibility to adapt and use these in an as yet undefined variety of contexts.
Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Art in Journalism and Media Studies, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2016
Research report submitted to the Faculty of Humanities, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Masters of Art (Journalism and Media Studies), Johannesburg, 2016
