This dissertation examines stakeholder narratives that surround Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) in education, as well as the gap that exists between this narrative and effective widespread integration of ICTs in the classroom. Popular narratives surrounding ICTs in education often position ICTs as positive and inevitable and as a development strategy that benefits individuals, nations, and the global marketplace. However, ICTs are not equally distributed or enjoyed within or among nations. Technologies, information, and social development efforts are not neutral but are socially constructed and motivated by specific actors trying to achieve certain outcomes. This research, anchored in theories of ICTs in education, globalization, development communication, digital divide, and production of culture, provides a critical perspective to better understand who contributes to the production of the education technology culture and what social development gains are possible through the implementation of such efforts. One major factor contributing to the narrative of ICTs in education is the widespread adoption of education technology standards. This case study examines the stakeholder culture that produces those standards and contributes to the education technology narratives. Through interview and historical organization document analysis, I examine the processes followed to establish the National Education Technology Standards (NETS); the stakeholders that contribute to and operate within a culture of instructional technology that informs the development of technology standards; and how the production of culture surrounding instructional technology standards has been realized internationally. I argue that there is a disconnect between the production of instructional technology culture and the realities facing poor schools and poor nations. Despite the development and widespread adoption of educational technology standards, significant educational gains have largely gone unrealized. While I do not dispute the importance of establishing a minimum set of expectations for ICTs in education, I assert that the focus on standards distracts from more challenging conversations concerning inequities among schools and the deep socioeconomic divisions that continue to reinforce the digital divide and the overall inability to provide equitable opportunities for students. / text

We know that Sweden's HIV communication strategy does not specifically address young women, while Botswana's HIV communication strategy does. The overarching aim of this study is therefore to investigate whether Sweden should and could learn from Botswana with regard to focus on women in the HIV communication strategy. To do so, the methods used are qualitative interviews and focus groups with young women in Sweden and Botswana, expert interviews with representatives from organizations in Sweden and Botswana as well as textual analysis of different HIV prevention strategies from both countries.   The results of this study shows that there seems to be a difference between young women’s risk perception and risk behaviour in Sweden and Botswana, a difference that can partly be explained by hoe respective country work with HIV prevention communication towards this group. This indicates that Sweden could learn from Botswana’s HIV prevention communication concerning how they work with young women as a target group and how gender equality and empowerment of women is part of Botswana’s communication strategy. However, because of the difference in HIV prevalence and because of the limited effect of communication measures, the difference in communication can only be considered a small part of the to why the differences exist.

In South Africa, certain areas are well developed with infrastructures that compare with first world standards, while in others, people live in abject poverty without basic services being rendered Poverty is the single greatest burden of South Africa's people. It is defined as the inability to meet a specified set of basic needs. This means that apart from low income levels, malnutrition and hunger, poverty manifests itself in poor people's lives in many other ways, including lack of access to basic social services. Poverty is characterized by the inability of individuals, households or communities to command sufficient resources to satisfy a socially acceptable minimum standard of living. It is perceived by poor South Africans themselves to include alienation from the community, food insecurity, crowded homes, usage of unsafe and inefficient forms of energy and lack of jobs that are adequately paid and I or secure. Because the government doesn't want to alienate those it is trying to serve, public services are being brought closer to people, so as to improve the quality of community life. The underlying reason for the implementation of Multi-purpose Community Centres (MPCCs) is to bring government services closer to people and to provide the community with the opportunity to communicate with government. Multi-Purpose Community Centres have been identified as the primary approach for the implementation of development communication and information programmes. MPCCs also serve as a base from which a wide range of services and products can reach communities. The aim is for communities to access such services and engage in government programmes for their own empowerment. As a result, MPPCs are a necessary poverty alleviation strategy that needs to be promoted for the improvement of the quality of community life. / Thesis (M. Development and Management)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2006.

Thesis (M.S.)--Miami University, Dept. of Kinesiology and Health, 2008. / Title from first page of PDF document. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.A. (Journalism)) - Rhodes University, 2007 / "Thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirement for the degree of Master of Arts" - T.p.

xiv, 232 p. ; ill. (some col.) A print copy of this thesis is available through the UO Libraries. Search the library catalog for the location and call number. / The field of international development communication has given scant attention to the role of communication practitioners who are critical players in facilitating participation and community engagement in development. Despite growing demand for the training of these practitioners internationally, most of them work informally at the grassroots in ways that are poorly understood. This study aims to illuminate development communication practice by examining the everyday work of a freelance team of practitioners in Colombia. The study uses feminist ethnographic methods to describe and analyze the ways practitioners deal with professional dilemmas and power dynamics intrinsically present in development interventions. It focuses on the interactions and the narratives of these practitioners, and contrasts them against the major conceptual traditions of the field: modernization-related perspectives and critical/participatory views of social change. The analysis shows that the study's participants engage in self-reflection of their professional dilemmas, choices and understandings of communication. This self-reflection recognizes the opportunities, limitations, and failures of both alternative and protest-oriented media in the Latin American contexts, as well as the shortcomings of social marketing/behavior change models. The ethnography of this team's experience in the making of communication projects provides insight into their work conditions, the reasons for their "impure" mixing of theories and models, and their struggle to advance their long-term agendas of social change, even within short-term modernization-oriented programs. The main findings of the study are the principles used by these Colombian communicators: the aesthetic principle they call encanto (a sensuous, body-connected and poetic component that permeates language and communication encounters); and an ethical principle of trust-building, called confianza . Both principles represent an alternative to counterbalance the power asymmetries characterizing the development-as-modernization logic and particularly the modernization posture (called cantaleta) that permeates and hinders communication encounters. / Adviser: H. Leslie Steeves

To increase the understanding of the role of CSR in global development practice, this study examined ‘The Oracle’ podcast series, one of IKEA’s projects at H22, Helsingborg’s open innovation platform and city expo. The current transformations in our communities are met with traditional CSR approaches which are being exchanged for innovative models that encourage participation, consultation and engagement. The ethical discourse on businesses engaging in social affairs remains to be contested, but analysis on individual interests in shared issues using a communication view of CSR leads to innovation in network societies. At the same time, development practitioners are organizing social learning systems to communicate social change (C4D). Findings showed that storytelling can be used to study the shared sustainable development priorities between governments and businesses, and that the functionality of these narratives are just as important as the information they hold. Further research can be made to investigate the function of social innovation as a catalyst for CSR and C4D to find compatible solutions that address global development problems.

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The aim of this paper is to examine how European development intervention in Africa iscommunicated in the documentary “Sweet Poison.” For many decades there have beenprojects that were developed in Africa in order to support civilization in the poorest areas.This paper explores how the three projects in Africa, Tanzania, Kenya and Mali werecreated and developed, but not fully completed. These had various consequences overtime. With a reflection of representations, narratives and documentary story-telling, thestudy will use Teun Van Dijk's framework (2004) to analyze the film. The importance ofcritical discourse analysis techniques is well-known and provides an effective strategy toanalyze ideology as well as power in the language. In particular, the dichotomy of in-groupfavoritism vs. out-group derogation seems to be efficient in analytical discursive practices.A semi-structured interview was made with the author of the film to collect important datafor the analysis.

This research project applies feminist revisions of Habermas's theory of communicative action to evaluate levels of participation in individually-based development programs through the case study of one such program. Utilizing a triangulated methodology of participant observation, interviews, and discourse analysis, combined with considerations of feminist ethical issues, this research study examines the role of dialogue and "being heard" in the recovery and rehabilitation of women who used prostitution to feed chemical addiction. I utilize a "feminist communicative action" to evaluate a unique type of development program: one aimed at individual development. In addition, this project assesses the place of human communication, emotions, and community in the sustainability of such recovery programs. / Media & Communication