Isabella Rega - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Isabella Rega

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Abstract This research aims to give an initial answer to the following question: is there in the ... more Abstract This research aims to give an initial answer to the following question: is there in the eLearning research community a shared body of common knowledge (authors/journals/ etc.)? , and, in addressing this issue, aims to promote the growing of a common ...

Handbook of Communication for Development and Social Change

Semiotica

This article uses the theoretical construct of Social Representations to investigate how Communit... more This article uses the theoretical construct of Social Representations to investigate how Community Multimedia Centers (CMCs) – venues that offer public access to Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) to underserved communities – are perceived by communities in Mozambique, and it discusses how the local population understands these venues as means to foster community empowerment and socio-economic development. In total, 113 participants took part in the study, from six CMCs in different towns of Mozambique. Participants were represented from three different social groups, according to their use of the CMC: staff members, users of both CMC components – telecenter and radio – and radio-only users. The article analyses the Social Representations’ structure, using a Prototypical approach. Findings show that CMCs are seen by local communities as places at which they can receive and exchange information, and also as learning spaces, with the telecenter part focused on the deliv...

Journal of Information, Communication and Ethics in Society

Purpose The purpose of this study to shed light on the importance of social media hosted content ... more Purpose The purpose of this study to shed light on the importance of social media hosted content related to socially-motivated discussions. Moving from the field of communication for development, the research leverages social media as a powerful tool for collecting and analyse peer-to-peer communication towards the conceptualization of eVoices of Unheard. The deep understanding of these conversation can generate recommendations for organizations and governments designing and providing interventions fostering local socio-economic development. Design/methodology/approach The study presents a large-scale analysis of social media interactions on the topic “#favela” to generate insights into a social network structure, narrative contents and meaning generated. Findings Structurally, the analysed networks are comparable with those presented in current academic literature; automatic text analysis confirmed the promise of the inner value of communication for development opening the floor to...

The Electronic Journal of Information Systems in Developing Countries

Ten Mozambican Community Multimedia Centers (CMCs) were investigated by analyzing Social Represen... more Ten Mozambican Community Multimedia Centers (CMCs) were investigated by analyzing Social Representations of users and staff members. Photo-elicitation, an underexplored methodological approach in the domain of Information and Communication Technologies for Development (ICT4D), was employed to conduct the study, and a three-step qualitative content analysis was performed on both visual and textual data. Results tend to confirm and build upon outcomes from the existing literature on Public Access Venues (PAVs). Local communities value these centers because they bring social recognition to people working or learning there. The venues are associated with a symbolism that extends from the social recognition of the individual to the development and social inclusion of the whole community, which, because of the presence of the venue, does not feel left behind. In this vein, the study also shows that the importance of CMCs is often not related to the newest technology available, but to the technology that reaches the most of the community. The study also highlights neglected dimensions of CMCs, such as the importance of the exterior appearance of the venue, and the perception of a switch in their nature from static centers funded by third parties towards more entrepreneurial-driven ones. The presented research also contributes to the ICT4D field by proposing a promising research protocol, which is able to elicit representations otherwise difficult to obtain.

ABSTRACT Community Multimedia Centres are considered by initiating agencies as instruments able t... more ABSTRACT Community Multimedia Centres are considered by initiating agencies as instruments able to inform, entertain and educate the population, as well as to give them voice into the knowledge society and to enable them to have a larger impact on public issues. As part of a bigger research and development project aiming to unveil how local communities, instead, perceive them, this paper qualitatively analyzed a corpus of 235 local people’s statements regarding in-bound, out-bound and shared information and communication flows connected to Community Multimedia Centres in Mozambique. The study will highlight how CMCs are identified more as information than communication enablers, and mostly in discourses related with their Community Radio component. They are not widely recognized, instead, as participation means to a reality that transcend the communities’ borders.

Information Technologies and International Development, 2013

This article presents extensive research conducted in Mozambique that aims to deeply understand h... more This article presents extensive research conducted in Mozambique that aims to deeply understand how different social groups understand community multimedia centers (CMCs), which are structures combining a community radio and a telecenter. The social representations theory was adopted to interpret narratives of 231 interviewees from 10 Mozambican provinces. Interviewees included representatives of initiating agencies, local staff members, CMC users (both the radio and telecenter components), users of only the community radio, and community members not using the CMCs. Following the analysis of transcribed interviews, six main clusters were identiªed, each of them shedding light on a speciªc understanding of a CMC. These are discussed according to a set of sociodemographic variables. This study suggests that the social representations theory is a valuable framework to provide an integrated view of ICT4D interventions by giving a voice to local perspectives without overlooking the initiating agencies' expectations.

This PhD thesis embraces the field of research that focuses on the application of information and... more This PhD thesis embraces the field of research that focuses on the application of information and communication technologies (ICT) to socioeconomic development in transition or developing countries. The subject of the study are telecentres, public places where people can access information through ICT, and which should fulfill the communication needs of the communities in which they are located, in particular, networked telecentres belonging to a wider regional or national system will be analyzed. The central question of this thesis sprang from the study of the available literature and from nine exploratory field studies carried out in West Africa (in Burkina Faso, Benin, Guinea and Mali). The literature brings to light that, to reach sustainability, it is important to take into consideration not only technological factors thwarting the use of ICT, but also psychological, economic and sociological issues which are reflected in the need to create awareness of the contribution that access to information (through ICT) can have in improving living conditions. However, few guidelines and theoretical models have been used or developed to assess extra-technological issues, shaping a gap in the research field. The nine studies in West Africa highlighted discrepancies in the conceptualization of telecentres in terms of activities and functions between the founding organization and the local staff; and between the the founding organization and the rest of the community. It was noted how the existence of these conceptualization misalignments can first and foremost compromise the ability of the founding organization and of the staff to create awareness and, consequently, it may compromise other sustainability criteria highlighted in the literature such as the supply of relevant content and services and the involvement of the local community. This thesis aims at developing a cognitive tool to capture the extra-technological dimensions, which have an impact onto sustainability, studying the awareness and the understanding that different social groups have of telecentres. The social groups taken into consideration are the representatives of the founding organization, local staff, users and non-users of a telecentre. The research was undertaken in South Africa, namely in 4 eGovernment telecentres, called Cape Access Centres, set up by the Western Cape Government in communities throughout the region. In particular, semi-structured interviews were conducted with staff members, users and non-users at 4 centres (Bitterfontein, Vanrhynsdorp,

ABSTRACT Os Centros Multimédia Comunitários (CMCs) em Moçambique foram implantados durante a déca... more ABSTRACT Os Centros Multimédia Comunitários (CMCs) em Moçambique foram implantados durante a década de 90, representam o modelo mais comum de acesso público às Tecnologias de Informação e Comunicação (TIC) no país. Este relatório apresenta um breve historial e tipologia dos CMCs em Moçambique, bem como um mapa atualizado contendo o número de CMCs existentes e a sua localização geográfica. Por fim, descreve pormenorizadamente uma amostra de dez (10) CMCs, um por cada província do país. A descrição pormenorizada foca-se nos seguintes elementos: Contexto, conjunto de serviços, instrumentos técnicos, o grupo de pessoas que administra o CMC e o grupo de pessoas que os utiliza. As informações utilizada para elaboração deste relatório foi colhida durante os meses de Março e Abril de 2011, no âmbito do trabalho de campo do projeto RE-ACT (Representações sociais dos centros multimédia comunitários e ações de melhoria), um projeto de pesquisa e desenvolvimento executado pelo NewMinE Lab (Laboratório NewMinE da Universidade de Lugano, Suiça), em colaboração com o Centro de Estudos Africanos (CEA) e o Departamento de Matemática e Informática (DMI) da Universidade Eduardo Mondlane (UEM), Maputo, Moçambique. Este relatório é dirigido a pesquisadores e profissionais na área de tecnologias de informação e comunicação para desenvolvimento (ICT4D), bem como as pessoas ligadas a implementação de politicas ligadas as TICs. A longo do relatório os preços são expressados em Meticais (Mzn). 1 Mzn corresponde a 0.037 USD o a 0.027 EU (esta conversão foi efetuada no website www.ec.europa.eu no dia 21 Novembro de 2011).

The study presented here provides elements to answer the following question: is there in the eLea... more The study presented here provides elements to answer the following question: is there in the eLearning research community a shared body of common knowledge (authors/journals/ etc.)?, in doing so, it tries to promote the growing of a common background, since it is of the main importance for the growing of the discipline itself; otherwise, every communication is in danger of remaining a fruitless monologue. To reach this goal the authors analysed the Proceedings of the international conference SITE 2001. The corpus of data consisted of 3,910 reference items cited in 648 papers. The parameters analysed were: the most cited titles, the most cited authors, years in which referenced items were written, the most cited journals, the number of references that could be found online, languages of referenced items.

This paper will investigate a critical approach to using technology for educational development i... more This paper will investigate a critical approach to using technology for educational development in disadvantaged regions in Cape Town, South Africa. The case study employed for this analysis is officially known as MELISSA: Measuring E-Learning Impact in primary Schools in South African disadvantaged Areas. The research programme has thus far monitored changes in the development of basic skills to the eventual adoption of ICTs in the classroom. In light of this, this paper intends to describe MELISSA as a critical approach that employs technology for (formal) educational development. There are many challenges and opportunities associated with this approach, and they will be evaluated as becomes necessary. There are also many lessons and insights to be drawn from such an extensive research action. They will be presented accordingly, in line with a theoretical perspective and relevant methodological framework. It is hoped that this paper will inform a broader acknowledgement of the rol...

This special issue of J.UCS offers a wide perspective on Information and Communication Technologi... more This special issue of J.UCS offers a wide perspective on Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in the learning experience. While all of them cover teaching/learning and ICT, the seven selected articles approach the same common subject from different viewpoints, both when it comes to the adopted research methodology – experiment, survey, case study; the learning context – secondary school, university, lifelong learning; the topic – health related, second language, science; as well as the related disciplines – pedagogy, psychology, sociology, ethnography. Computer Generated Voice-Over in a Medical E-Learning Application: The Impact on Factual Learning Outcome – by S. Minder, M. Notari, F. Schmitz, and R. Hofer – presents an experimental research designed in order to assess the learning effectiveness of different strategies to deliver contents in a visual and textual/spoken form, exploring the differences between audio produced by a human speaker and produced by a computer g...

Global Health Action, 2015

Background: Community health workers (CHWs) are used increasingly in the world to address shortag... more Background: Community health workers (CHWs) are used increasingly in the world to address shortages of health workers and the lack of a pervasive national health system. However, while their role is often described at a policy level, it is not clear how these ideals are instantiated in practice, how best to support this work, or how the work is interpreted by local actors. CHWs are often spoken about or spoken for, but there is little evidence of CHWs' own characterisation of their practice, which raises questions for global health advocates regarding power and participation in CHW programmes. This paper addresses this issue. Design: A case study approach was undertaken in a series of four steps. Firstly, groups of CHWs from two communities met and reported what their daily work consisted of. Secondly, individual CHWs were interviewed so that they could provide fuller, more detailed accounts of their work and experiences; in addition, community health extension workers and community health committee members were interviewed, to provide alternative perspectives. Thirdly, notes and observations were taken in community meetings and monthly meetings. The data were then analysed thematically, creating an account of how CHWs describe their own work, and the tensions and challenges that they face. Results: The thematic analysis of the interview data explored the structure of CHW's work, in terms of the frequency and range of visits, activities undertaken during visits (monitoring, referral, etc.) and the wider context of their work (links to the community and health service, limited training, coordination and mutual support through action and discussion days, etc.), and provided an opportunity for CHWs to explain their motivations, concerns and how they understood their role. The importance of these findings as a contribution to the field is evidenced by the depth and detail of their descriptive power. One important aspect of this is that CHWs' accounts of both successes and challenges involved material elements: leaky tins and dishracks evidenced successful health interventions, whilst bicycles, empty first aid kits and recruiting stretcher bearers evidenced the difficulties of resourcing and geography they are required to overcome. Conclusion: The way that these CHWs described their work was as healthcare generalists, working to serve their community and to integrate it with the official health system. Their work involves referrals, monitoring, reporting and educational interactions. Whilst they face problems with resources and training, their accounts show that they respond to this in creative ways, working within established systems of community power and formal authority to achieve their goals, rather than falling into a 'deficit' position that requires remedial external intervention. Their work is widely appreciated, although some households do resist their interventions, and figures of authority sometimes question their manner and expertise. The material challenges that they face have both practical and community aspects, since coping with scarcity brings community members together. The implication of this is that programmes co-designed with CHWs will be easier to implement because of their relevance to their practices and experiences, whereas those that assume a deficit model or seek to use CHWs as an instrument to implement external priorities are likely to disrupt their work.

Development Southern Africa, 2015

This paper responds to the paucity of research on the linkages between voluntourism and digital t... more This paper responds to the paucity of research on the linkages between voluntourism and digital technology and seeks to understand the online representation of the phenomenon in a developing context. In particular, the researchers investigate the so-called 'online domain' of voluntourism in South Africa. The researchers collected a series of web results from search engines and analysed the presence of traditional and social media websites, the most relevant presented topics, and the type of argumentation found. Results identify the context and representation of voluntourism as it transpires virtually. This will contribute to the understanding of the interplay between voluntourism and digital technology, with specific emphasis on web presence. Ultimately, results will shed light on how digitally accessible voluntourism is in South Africa and will set the basis for future investigations.

Since the World Summit on Information Society's Declaration of Principles on Building the Inf... more Since the World Summit on Information Society's Declaration of Principles on Building the Information Society in 2003, access to Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) for all has been considered among the basic human rights, and one of the means to achieve the Millennium Development Goals. The disparity of access to ICTs across and within countries, known as the "digital divide", and its positive counterpart the "digital inclusion" have attracted an important amount of research efforts (Gómez, 2011; Henry, 2004; Riggins & Dewan, 2005; White, 2011). One of the main strategies activated by international organizations, governments and the non-profit sector to address the lack of technology access in developing countries is the creation of public places providing ICT-based services (PAVs) (Gómez, 2009; Gould, Gómez, & Camacho, 2010; James, 2009). Community Multimedia Centres (CMCs) are one of the diverse initiatives in this field that aim "to fos...