- 225 views
- 178 downloads
Putting the Capabilities Approach into Action (Research): A Comparative Assessment of a Technology Stewardship Training Program for Agricultural Extension in Sri Lanka and Trinidad
-
Prepared for International Association for Media and Communication Researchers (IAMCR) 2020 conference. This paper reports on a technology stewardship training program aimed at operationalizing the Capabilities Approach with agricultural extension practitioners in Low and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs). The training program is rooted in a “technology-augmented” Capability Approach to inform the design of an in-service training program for agricultural extension officers and advisors.
We assessed the training program using a multimethod approach with cohorts in Sri Lanka and Trinidad. Evaluation of training was carried out using the Kirkpatrick Model with four levels of assessment: reception, learning, behaviour, and results. Findings show a positive response to the training, that learning objectives of the course are achievable when offered as an in-service program, that self-confidence with ICT is improved, and that participants applied their learning in a post-course activity with their community of practice.
This paper will first describe the overall context and goals for the project and introduce a Technology-augmented Capability Approach model as it applies to the study. We will then discuss research design, assessment of the Field School training, as well as short term results with illustrative examples involving participants from Sri Lanka and Trinidad between 2018 and early 2020. We conclude that this training can advance the normative aim of the Capabilities Approach by providing extension officers with effective techniques for leading a change through choice strategy. Future efforts will be required to carry out in-depth field research on stewardship-informed practices with extension officers post-training.
-
- Date created
- 2020-06-01
-
- Type of Item
- Conference/Workshop Presentation