I, Alfred Coleman, declare that âFactors influencing the utilization of PIT ...... In section C of the questionnaire participants were asked to indicate some of the.
FACTORS INFLUENCING THE UTILIZATION OF PIT SYSTEM IN BOPHIRIMA REGION by Alfred Coleman 206075210 Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirement for the degree Master Technologiae in the FACULTY OF INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY
at the TSHWANE UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY Supervisor: Prof. M .E. Herselman Co-Supervisor: Dr S.J. Jacobs
March 2007
A.Coleman:206075210
DECLARATION I, Alfred Coleman, declare that “Factors influencing the utilization of PIT systems in the Bophirima Region”, for the degree M Tech at the Tshwane University of Technology, is my own original work and has not previously been submitted to any other institution of higher education. I further declare that all sources cited or quoted are indicated and acknowledged by means of comprehensive list of references.
Signature: ………………….. Date: ……………………….
Copyright© Tshwane University 2007 ii
A.Coleman:206075210
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I will like to express my gratitude, appreciation and my sincere thanks to my supervisors, Professor M.E. Herselman and Dr. S.J. Jacobs, whose committed guidance, continual support and supervision have enlightened me to compile this research report. I am most thankful.
I also wish to thank Mrs. Adri Coetzer, the research officer at the ICT faculty of Tshwane University of Technology, for her support and assistance.
Again, I thank Mr. and Mrs. D. Funchell, for their precious friendship, encouragement and trust, which led me to the completion of this project.
Lastly, but not the least, I am grateful to my wife Mrs. M. F. Coleman, whose immeasurable efforts have made this project a reality.
I also thank the Almighty God for all the wonderful people I have had the opportunity to come into contact with, especially my parents and also my course mates, Neil and Matthew.
In conclusion, I thank the Almighty God, the Father of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, for His grace and mercy which are sufficient for me.
iii
A.Coleman:206075210
ABSTRACT This mini dissertation focused on factors, which influence the usage of the Public Internet Terminal (PIT) system in Bophirima Region. PIT systems have been placed in many post offices in Bophirima Region but the rural community members do not effectively use the services provided by the system. With this reference, the overall objectives of this dissertation was to investigate the factors which prevented the rural people from using the PIT system, and secondly to determine the difficulties encountered by the users in the process of using the PIT. The research sought to find out the acceptability of IT in these rural areas through the PIT system and finally, proposed a solution to the outcomes of the findings.
A case study approach was used for the purpose of this research project and the dissertation was organized to cover all the stages of a research process.
The study gathered a number of findings, including lack of awareness of PIT services, lack of computer skills and confidence as well as fear of technology. Other findings were overload of information on the PIT, use of inconvenient language, and slow response of the PIT system.
Altogether, these findings led to some suggested recommendations, a model and some suggested future work within this area of research are proposed.
Keywords: Information kiosk, Public Internet Terminals (PIT), Information and Communication Technology (ICT) provision, rural communities.
iv
A.Coleman:206075210
CONTENTS
Page
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
iii
ABSTRACT
iv
LIST OF FIGURES
x
LIST OF TABLES
xii
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS
xiii
LIST OF DEFINITIONS
xiv
CHAPTER 1: BACKGROUND AND ORIENTATION TO THE STUDY 1.1
INTRODUCTION
3
1.2
RESEARCH PROBLEM
5
1.3
RESEARCH QUESTION
5
1.4
RESEARCH AIMS AND OBJECTIVES
5
1.5
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
6
1.5.1 Research Participants
7
1.5.2 Data collection techniques
8
1.5.2.1 Observation
9
1.5.2.2 Questionnaire
10
1.5.2.3 Interviews
10
1.6
IMPORTANCES AND BENEFIT OF THE RESEARCH
10
1.7 ETHICAL CONSIDERATION
11
1.8 RESEARCH PROJECT PLAN
12
1.9 LAYOUT OF THE STUDY
13
1.10 CONCLUSION
13 v
A.Coleman:206075210
CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW Page 2.1 INTRODUCTION
15
2.2 DEFINITION OF PUBLIC INTERNET TERMINAL (PIT)
15
2.3 CASE STUDIES
19
2.3.1 Information and Internet kiosks providing Educational services: Hole-in-the-wall in India
23
2.3.2 Using information and internet kiosk for improving government services to rural citizens: Gyandoot project in India and municipalities services in Belgium
25
2.3.3 Using Public Internet Terminals to access public transport information in European cities 2.3.4 Internet kiosk as an empowerment tool for women
2.4
27 29
FACTORS HAMPERING THE USE OF INFORMATION AND INTERNET KIOSKS
29
2.4.1 Introduction
29
2.4.2 Socio-economic factors
30
2.4.3 Problems associated with user interface: navigation
31
2.4.4 Problems associated with conceptual model of users
32
2.4.5 Problems associated with local acceptability of ICT
33
2.5
35
CONCLUSION vi
A.Coleman:206075210
CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Page
3.1
INTRODUCTION
37
3.2
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
37
3.2.1 Quantitative and qualitative approach
38
3.2.2 Design
40
3.3
MULTIPLE CASE STUDY APPROACH
41
3.4
DATA COLLECTION AND SAMPLING
42
3.4.1 Observation
44
3.4.2 Questionnaire
45
3.4.3 Interviews
45
3.4.4 Sampling design
46
3.5
DATA ANALYSIS
47
3.6
CONCLUSION
48
vii
A.Coleman:206075210
CHAPTER 4: FINDINGS AND ANALYSIS
Page
4.1
INTRODUCTION
50
4.2
RESULTS DEALING WITH PROBLEMS ENCOUNTERED WHEN PERFORMING A TASK ON THE PIT
4.3
51
RESULTS DEALING WITH FACTORS PREVENTING USERS FROM USING THE PIT SYSTEM
55
4.3.1 Few participants with Personal Computers and Internet at home
56
4.3.2 Frequency of visit to Post Office by participants
57
4.3.3 Participants usage of PIT per week
58
4.3.4 Other factors preventing participants from using PIT 4.4
58
RESULTS DEALING WITH THE COMMUNITY PERCEPTION OF THE BENEFIT OF THE PIT SYSTEM
61
4.5
INTERVIEWS
63
4.6
ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION
65
4.7
SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION
68
viii
A.Coleman:206075210
CHAPTER 5: RECOMMENDATION AND CONCLUSION
Page
5.1
INTRODUCTION
71
5.2
SUMMARY OF THE RESEARCH FINDINGS
71
5.3
RECOMMENDATION TO THE FINDINGS
72
5.3.1 The use of Human Assistance
73
5.3.2 The use of local language and information
74
5.3.3 Create awareness of PIT among local people
74
5.3.4 Voluntary training of community members in the use of PIT
75
5.3.5 Promote local ownership of PIT 5.4
75
A MODEL FOR PIT USERS IN THE BOPHIRIMA REGION
75
5.5
LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY
77
5.6
RECOMMENDATION FOR FURTHER
5.7
RESEARCH
77
CONCLUSION
77
LIST OF REFERENCES
77
APPENDICES
88
APPENDIX A: Research Questionnaire
89
APPENDIX B: Interview Schedule
92
ix
A.Coleman:206075210
LIST OF FIGURES Page Figure 1.1:
Chapter One –Flow chart
2
Figure 2.1:
Chapter Two-Flow chart
14
Figure 2.2:
A Picture of PIT
20
Figure 2.3:
A map of North West Province indicating Taung and Ganyesa
21
Figure 2.4:
Taung Station Post Office
22
Figure 2.5:
A Hole-in-the-wall station at Shivpuri India
24
Figure 2.6:
Community perception
25
Figure 2.7:
Information kiosk at Enschede City Hall
27
Figure 2.8:
Public Interactive Terminal
28
Figure 2.9:
Screen of PIT
33
Figure 2.10:
Acceptability Structure
34
Figure 3.1:
Chapter Three -Flow chart
37
Figure 4.1:
Chapter Four-Floe chart
50
Figure 4.2:
Percentage of participants with/ without computers and Internet
57
Participants’ visit to their local Post Office per week
58
Figure 4.3:
x
A.Coleman:206075210
Figure 4.4:
Participants’ response to factors preventing them from using PIT
60
Figure 4.5:
Community perception about PIT
62
Figure 5.1:
Chapter Five-Flow chart
70
Figure 5.2:
Activities of the Human Assistance
73
Figure 5.3:
A model for PIT users in Bophirima Region
76
xi
A.Coleman:206075210
LIST OF TABLES Page Table 1:
Participants’ Table
9
Table 1.2: Research Project Plan
12
Table 3.1: Summary of Quantitative and Qualitative Research
40
Table 3.2: Research design for qualitative research
41
Table 3.3: Data collection techniques
44
Table 4.1: Data collection plan
52
Table 4.2: Returned Questionnaires
56
Table 4.3: Frequency of PIT users
59
Table 4.4: Factors hampering participants use of PIT
60
Table 4.5: Interview responses from participants
63
Table 4.6: Responses from Postmasters
64
xii
A.Coleman:206075210
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS CSIR:
Council for Scientific and Industrial Research
CTA:
Centre Technique de Cooperation Agricole et Rurale ACP-UE
DHAN:
Development of Humane Action
DoC:
Department of Communication
HIWEL:
Hole-in-the-wall Education Ltd.
ICT:
Information and Communication Technology
IFLA:
International Federation of Library Associations and institutions.
IFLA-APL: IFLA’s Advancement of Librarianship in the Third World Programme IT:
Information Technology
MIE:
Minimally Invasive Education
PC:
Personal Computer
PIT:
Public Internet Terminal
SAPO:
South African Post Office
SAITIS:
South African Information Technology Industry Strategy
SMS:
Short Message Service
UNESCO: United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
xiii
A.Coleman:206075210
LIST OF DEFINITIONS
Acceptability:
How the system user thinks that, a system is legitimate and worthwhile.
Connectivity:
The rate and speed at which the PIT links to other servers on the World Wide Web.
Digital Divide:
Implies the differences between those who have and those who do not have access to ICTs.
Human Assistant:
A trained appointed person employed to assist the users of PIT.
Hyperlink:
A link in an HTML document that leads to another place on the same page or to another page on the same website or to another World Wide Web.
Plain text:
A text, which does not lead to another location with information about the subject when clicked.
Public Internet Terminal (PIT):
A standalone Personal Computer which is set up at the local post office to provide information and Internet services.
Response time: Time taken for the PIT to display information after the URL (Uniform Resource Locator) has been typed in the address box and the click button is activated. xiv
A.Coleman:206075210
Chapter 1: BACKGROUND AND ORIENTATION TO THE STUDY
Start
1.1 Introduction
1.2 Research Problem
1.3 Research Question
1.4 Research Aims and Objectives
1.5 Research Methodology Chapter 1 1.6 Importance and Benefit of the Research
1.7 Ethical Consideration
1.8 Research Project Plan Chapter 2 1.9 Layout of the Study
Conclusion xv Figure1.1: Chapter ONE – Flow Chart
A.Coleman:206075210
CHAPTER 1: BACKGROUND AND ORIENTATION TO THE STUDY 1.1 INTRODUCTION
In June 1994, librarians from Africa and all over the world met in Botswana under the auspices of the International Federation of Library Association and Institutions (IFLA) with the support of United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to discuss matters relating to information provision to rural communities in Africa (Correa, Ndiaye, Mchombu, Rodriguez and Rosenber, 1997). Among the conclusions reached by the participants at the Botswana seminar, was the need to stimulate a culture of critical analysis, research and ongoing evaluation of information services to rural African communities (IFLA-APL, 1995). Providing information to rural communities in Africa for rural development can best be achieved through information technologies, especially those of electronic network and digital storage (CTA, 1996). Again the World Bank Development Report (2000/2001) propagates that Information Technology (IT) can reduce poverty in Africa by increasing opportunities and enhancing empowerment of the rural poor people.
To move and implement this concept of the “provision of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) for rural development”, the South African government has enshrined in its ICT Charter (2004) the attempt to ensure that all citizens have the opportunity to access and effectively use ICT. According to Jacobs and Herselman (2006), this will enable citizens to participate fully in the educational, social and economic activities and the democratic process in South Africa. In order to achieve this, the South African government, through the Department of Information and Communication (DoC), in conjunction with the South Africa Post Office (SAPO), have rolled out Public Internet Terminals (PIT) in many post offices as part of the Department of Communications’ national projects (DoC, 2003).The fundamental objective of PIT is to create a 3
A.Coleman:206075210
communication infrastructure through which the public will have access to government information and government services. The public will also be empowered to have electronic access to information and communication via electronic mail.
The conceptualization of the PIT project was based on the pursuit of the Department of Communication’s mission statement, which is, “to strive towards a universal service to enable ordinary people to have access, not traditional media, but also the convenience of Information Technology” (DoC, 2003). According to the ICT Charter (2004), the provision of IT services to the rural villages will create a flourishing information society that will improve the quality of life of South Africans and contribute to the economic growth of the nation.
Fundamental to PIT’s success is that it must be user friendly, affordable, and that it should offer benefits not only to the public, but also to all parties who are involved in providing the services and communicating on-screen with their users (DoC, 2003). Again the same document states that, there are five basic categories of services that are offered by PIT. These services are: ♦ Government information and forms retrieval ♦ E-mail services ♦ Internet browsing ♦ Business section ♦ Educational services ♦ SMS
According to the DoC (2003), seven hundred (700) PIT service stations have already been installed in different post offices in the country and many more stations are yet to be installed. With these introductory perspective in mind, the research problem of this study comes to fore.
4
A.Coleman:206075210
1.2. RESEARCH PROBLEM As stated before, due to the growing popularity of the Internet and the world wide web, the government, together with the South Africa Post Office, has invested a huge amount of money to set up these PIT workstations in many rural villages, including Taung and Ganyesa, which are some of the rural villages in the Bophirima Region of the North West Province in South Africa.
The problem is, despite the huge infrastructural investment of 700 PIT workstations (DoC, 2003), that have been set up in various rural post offices like Taung and Ganyesa, people in these rural areas do not effectively use the PIT services for information. Again they do not use other services that are intended to be provided by the PIT system. As these rural people do not use the services of these information technologies effectively, it widens the digital divide (Raab et al.1996).
With this background to the problem, the research question of this study is formulated in the next section.
1.3 RESEARCH QUESTION
With these introductory perspectives on the research problem, the following research question is formulated and will be addressed in this study:
What factors influence the usage of PIT system in the Bophirima Region?
5
A.Coleman:206075210
1.4 RESEARCH AIMS AND OBJECTIVES
The aim of the research was to find, develop and recommend a solution for providing the rural people of Taung and Gyanesa with a simple and effective way to access and utilize the PIT services and the information that are provided on the government website on the PIT.
In achieving these, the objectives of this research were: ♦ To find out factors preventing the rural people from using the PIT, ♦ To determine the difficulties encountered by users in the process of using the PIT, ♦ To determine the level of acceptability of IT in the rural areas through PIT, and ♦ To propose a solution to the outcome of the findings.
In the next section the research methodology that was used to achieve the above stated objectives is discussed.
1.5. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
In order to address the purpose of this study without sacrificing the relevance of the study, a multiple case study approach was employed. In this case, different research approaches namely, quantitative and qualitative approaches were used. Oliver (2004:100) states that the ability to collect a variety of information from a case is, in fact, one of the major strengths of a case study method. Based on the research purpose it was essential to determine the social situation of the participants and to establish relationship between measured variables, both qualitative and quantitative approach needed to be used in this study. Quantitative research approach focuses on providing statistically reliable information using large sample of people (Babbie, 2006:387). Typical quantitative
6
A.Coleman:206075210
research techniques include questionnaire using selected set of questions (Babbie, 2006).
Qualitative research process, on the other hand, explores people’s attitude, behaviour and motives in more depth, and it usually involves small numbers (Welman and Kruger, 2005:182). Qualitative research techniques include focus group discussions, in-depth interviews and observations (Mouton, 2005).
The distinction between quantitative and qualitative approach in social research is essentially the distinction between numerical and non-numerical data (Babbie, 2006: 23). Again Babbie (2006: 25) points out that both quantitative and qualitative method are useful and legitimate in social research; both are needed. A complete understanding of a topic often requires both techniques (Babbie, 2006:25). Oliver (2004:111) emphasises that quantitative research and qualitative research approaches complement each another. However, the two call for different skills and procedures (Babbie, 2006).
Therefore, this study applied both qualitative research by doing a case study on the Bophirima Region and the user’s usage of PIT system, as well as a quantitative study by using questionnaires to asses the community’s acceptability of the PIT system and its benefit to the community.
The participants that were used in this research study are discussed in the next section. . 1.5.1 Research participants
In this research study, participants were selected through purposeful sampling. According to Babbie (2006:189), purposeful sampling is where the researcher selects the units or elements, which are most useful or representative to the research. In this study purposeful sampling was applied to select population
7
A.Coleman:206075210
groups, which included teachers, nurses, business people, management team leaders, students and community leaders.
Elements within each population group were selected randomly because in random sampling, all the items have some chance of selection, and therefore ensures that “bias” is not introduced regarding who is included in the survey (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2004).
A number of 15 people in each of the two villages were selected from the population group, which included teachers, nurses, business people, management team leaders, students and community leaders. Random sampling was applied to select elements in each group because most of the people in the population groups are PIT users and, therefore a random selection may ensure reliability of the research results. The table below indicates the number of people who participated in the study.
Place
Data Collection Technique
No
Observation Questionnaire Interview Taung
5
5
5
N=15
Ganyesa
5
5
5
N=15
Table 1: Participants’ Table
Furthermore, a purposeful sampling was used to select managers of the post offices in both Taung and Ganyesa to determine how the PIT in their post offices was being utilized by the people in the Bophirima Region.
Bophirima Region from all the other regions in South Africa and North West Province was selected because the rural areas of Taung and Ganyesa are among the typical poor and disadvantaged communities, which fulfil the South
8
A.Coleman:206075210
African government’s objectives to bring ICT services to the poor and disadvantaged communities in order to empower the poor and to bridge the digital divide.
1.5.2 Data collection techniques
Arhar, Holly and Kasten (2001), listed several kinds of sources for data collection such as, interview notes, observations written up in journals, documents and artefacts. McNiff (2002) adds multimedia records and surveys to the list, but points out that the method of data collection must always be appropriate to the particular research project, and that the point of the data collection must always be to gather evidence for improvement of practice. Stringer (1996: 62) contends that if interviewing is used as a data collection method, it must be guided by open-ended questions that draw from the participants the most unbiased information possible.
It is therefore important that in this research, the data collection techniques that were used were observation, questionnaire and interviews.
1.5.2.1 Observation
Each participant was given 20 minutes to use the PIT. A test was conducted whereby each participant was expected to perform a particular task on the PIT within that period of 20 minutes. The following is the direct task, which was given to the participants to perform on the PIT:
Find a government website on Aids and request for a support centre to be built in your community. The test was monitored in a form of direct observation by the researcher and video and audio recording supplemented it. A microphone was placed at the front
9
A.Coleman:206075210
of the computer to capture the user’s voice and comment during the test. The focus of the camera was on the monitor of the test computer. The direct observation was supplemented by brief handwritten notes, and the video recorder was used for retrospective analyzing (Edwards and Westgate, 1987) and to review the gathered information.
By adopting a task-based approach in gathering data, the main focus of the study, was to find out problems that the target group faced when trying to perform a task on the PIT and the obstacles that prevented them from utilizing information provided by the PIT were identified.
It is worth noting that the participants’ recorded comments while performing the task were the main focus of identifying the problems that they encountered in utilizing the PIT.
1.5.2.2 Questionnaire
The questionnaire in this research was used to provide additional and complementary information and to determine the user’s subjective preference, which, according to Nielson (1993), is difficult to measure objectively. The questionnaire contained both open- ended and closed questions.
1.5.2.3 Interviews
According to Leedy (1992), interviews should be considered as professional situations that demand proper planning and conduct on the part of the interviewer. Therefore, this interview was conducted in a form of focused group interviews, which was guided by open-ended questions. Finally all the findings were analysed and discussed in chapter 4.
10
A.Coleman:206075210
1.6 IMPORTANCE AND BENEFIT OF THE RESEARCH
As previously mentioned, the main objective of this research project was to investigate which factors influence the usage of PIT and to propose a possible solution for South African citizens, particularly those living in the rural areas, a simple and effective way of accessing and utilizing PIT services and the information provided by the Government and the South Africa Post Office. Therefore, the main benefit will be considered as enabling improvement by making it easier for people in rural areas to achieve their developmental goals through information technology.
However, the outcome of the research can be seen as a contribution towards bringing aboard the digitally excluded South Africans living in the rural areas. It can assist to identify the difficulties that are associated with the navigation and the complexity of the utilization of the digitally provided services of PIT. In addition to these, the outcome of the study is expected to be of special interest to IT practitioners who are working with the design and development of egovernment services. Finally, the benefit of this can also be for the SA Post Office to know the problems and apply the proposed solution as a possibility to overcome access problems to this PIT system. It will also benefit service delivery of the SA Post Office to its users.
1.7 ETHICAL CONSIDERATION
Mouton (2005: 239) indicates that a researcher has the right to collect data through interviewing people, but not at the expense of the interviewee’s right to privacy. Therefore participation of this research was voluntary and the participants could withdraw if they so wished. Moreover, the participants were made aware of the purpose of the research and the way the test was used.
11
A.Coleman:206075210
Above all, the post office officials were informed for permission before conducting the test. Informed consent was provided by the participants and they were ensured the confidentiality of the information they provided. The next section illustrates the research project plan.
1.8
RESEARCH PROJECT PLAN
Month of the year 2006
Month of the year 2007
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
1 2
The Gant Chart below highlights the project activities.
•
1.Proposal 2. Literature study 3. Research Methodology 4. Data collection 5.Data analysis 6.Conclusion and recommendation 7. Final submission
Table 1.2: Research Project Plan
The layout of the research study will be briefly discussed in the next section.
12
8 9
7
Description
3 4 5 6
Task
A.Coleman:206075210
1.9
LAYOUT OF THE STUDY.
The programme of this study is summarised below:
Chapter One: Background and Orientation to the Study Chapter Two: Literature Review Chapter Three: Research Methodology Chapter Four: Findings and Analysis Chapter Five: Recommendation and Conclusion
1.10
CONCLUSION
This first chapter presented the background and orientation to the study, the research problem, and the aims and objectives of the research study. The chapter highlighted the methodology used to conduct the study, the importance of the research study and the ethical consideration of the research. The project plan was compiled and presented together with the layout of the study. The next chapter provides the literature review of this study.
13
A.Coleman:206075210
Chapter 2: LITERATURE REVIEW
Start
2.1 Introduction
2.2 Definition of PIT
2.3 Case Studies
2.4 Factors hampering the use of information and Internet Kiosk Chapter 2
2.4.1 Introduction
2.4.2 Socio –economic factors
2.4.3 Problem associated with user interface navigation
2.4.4Problems associated with conceptual model of users 2.4.5 Problems associated with local acceptability of PIT 2.5 Conclusion
14 TWO – Flow Chart Figure 2.1: Chapter
Chapter 3
A.Coleman:206075210
CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 INTRODUCTION
This chapter focuses on theories which some researchers namely, Slack and Rowley (2002), Rowley (2000) and Nicholas, et al. (2001) and others have conducted on Information and Internet Kiosks. This is in accordance with Babbie (2006: 57), who contends that using theories to understand how society works is a key to offering practical solution to society’s problems.
Considering the research objectives of this dissertation, the literature will first look at the definition and types of Information and Internet Kiosks. Secondly, the literature will focus on the background of Information and Internet Kiosks by taking into account the successes and failures of Information Kiosks such as the Hole-in -the-Wall of India, e-government kiosks in Gyandoot and Belgium, and Public Interactive Terminals in Europe. Finally, the literature will be ended with factors hampering the usage of Information and Internet Kiosks, like socio-economic factors, navigation problems, the conceptual model of users and the local people’s acceptability of technology.
2.2 DEFINITION OF PUBLIC INTERNET TERMINAL (PIT).
According to DoC (2003), PIT is a Public Internet Terminal, which provides services like government information, educational services, e-mails, Internet browsing and business transactions. Again DoC (2003) classifies the PIT as kiosks which are to be rolled out countrywide. The Minster of Communications of South Africa, Matsepe-Casaburri, stated what the concept and purpose of PIT was meant to be.
15
A.Coleman:206075210
“The Public Information or Internet Terminal, or PIT, entails the installation of Internet Kiosks in post offices around the country. The kiosks will provide instant access to the Internet, e-mail, government and educational services as well as ecommerce. The link to government website, for example, will provide information on aspect of regulation, legislation, welfare, support grants and rebates. Interactive directories of various tertiary institutions will also be available” (Matsepe-Cassaburri, 2000).
According to DoC (2003), seven hundred PIT kiosks have been placed in different post offices in South Africa. A recent document issued by the South African Government Service (2006:1) on Public Information Terminals, confirms that there are 700 PIT terminals at different post offices in South Africa.
Morris, et al., (1995) states that a kiosk is a small rugged standalone structure which is often used as a newsstand or bandstand for commercial enterprise. Rowly (2000) defines kiosk as a workstation that is specifically designed for public accessibility and it may be standalone or networked to a larger computer system. Furthermore, Karcher (2001) defines an information or Internet kiosk as a stationary personal computer (PC) that is designed for public use with unique requirements of applications, software, hardware and connectivity for the users in a particular location.
Considering information kiosks in more detail, Tung and Tan (1998) categorized kiosks according to their transactional power and information availability. They came up with four types or categories of kiosks:
Type 1:
Information kiosks with low transaction power and low information availability such as the kiosks at airports, railway and bus stations which are used for purchasing tickets.
16
A.Coleman:206075210
Type 2:
Information kiosks with high transaction power and low information availability like the kiosks at libraries that are used for self-scanning of books.
Type 3:
Information kiosks with low transaction power and high information availability such as the kiosks at railway and bus stations which are used for finding information on timetables and the kiosks at car dealers that are used for visualizing how a particular car looks like.
Type 4:
Information kiosks with high transaction power and high information availability like the kiosks that allow citizens to pay their taxes or access public information.
Moerloose, et al (2005) indicate that, other types of information kiosks have appeared since then, including that of Rowley and Slack (2003) who suggest that the following dimensions of an information kiosk are useful: ♦ Information provision and promotion ♦ Information exchange between users and the kiosk ♦ Commerce and sales ♦ Strength of customer-retailer relationship, and a number of functions that the kiosk supports. Rowley and Slack (2003), again argue that the environment, users, tasks and technology should be considered in the design of public access systems.
In this research study PIT is defined as a standalone personal computer, which is set up in a public place to provide information and Internet services.
It has been noted that information kiosks have received little media, professional or academic attention (Rowley and Slack, 2003; Nicholas, et.al., 2001). In spite of this, information kiosks, over the past few years have become widespread as an interactive means of providing information to the public (Hariri, et.al., 1997; Rowley, 2000; Slack and Rowley, 2002).
17
A.Coleman:206075210
Governments of many African countries are therefore exploiting the advantages of information and Internet kiosk type 4 to provide information to their rural communities. However, it is important that rural communities use these IT facilities effectively to bridge the digital divide (Raab et.al.,1996). Digital divide, according to Raab et al. (1996), refers to those people who lack access to the services of information technology or those who have it but do not use them effectively. According to Herselman and Britton (2002:275), as well as Jacobs and Herselman (2005), digital divide implies the difference between those who have and those who do not have access to ICTs. Castells (1998) expresses the same notion when he asserts that information technology and the ability to use it and adapt it is the critical factor in generating and accessing wealth, power and knowledge in our time.
Furthermore, a World Bank report (1996) on increasing Internet connectivity in Sub-Saharan Africa states that “If African countries cannot take advantage of the information revolution and surf this great weave of technological change, then they may be crushed by it”.
18
A.Coleman:206075210
2.3 CASE STUDIES
According to Correa, et al., (1997), South Africa is a country that has accepted the need to democratize access to scientific engineering and technology information. Providing IT to our rural areas faces the challenge of wiring but satellite technology can be seen as a solution to the difficulty of wiring up rural and economically disadvantaged communities in South Africa (Correa, et al., 1997). Therefore many organizations like the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) in South Africa has taken it upon itself to develop and provide satellite transmission services to community-based information kiosks that use touch-screen technology (Hamilton, 1997).
According to South African Information Technology Industry Strategy (SAITIS, 2000), a number of government initiatives have been put in place to promote the use of Information and Internet Kiosks in South Africa, which include the establishment of a company called Cyberhost that was launched in 1999 with the intention of “bringing Internet access to the masses”. Cyberhost, according to SAITIS (2000), plans to launch 1000 coin operated Internet Kiosks in public places across the country. Again, SAITIS (2000) states that Cyberhost has already put contracts for 220 kiosks to be located at airports, video stores and shopping malls for public use. The intention is to charge R5 for 10 minutes of web browsing, and R2 for 10 minutes of e-mail usage. The expected outcome, according to SAITIS (2000), is to provide banking and payment services, ticket dispensing services, obtaining physical direction to physical location and to make confirmation of reservations.
Another initiative to promote community development by using information technology is the introduction of the PIT services which is a joint venture of the South African government and the South African Post Office (SAPO) to provide ICT services to the rural communities in South Africa through PIT which is also classified as an Information and Internet Kiosk (DoC, 2003).
19
A.Coleman:206075210
The PIT is a standalone kiosk that is placed in many South African rural post offices to offer services like, educational services, government services, business directory and transactions, SMS’s and Internet browsing to the rural communities. Below is a picture of a PIT standalone Kiosk.
Figure 2.2: PIT at Taung Station Post Office Both Taung and Ganyesa are rural areas in the Bophirima Region of the North West Province.Taung is situated to the south of Vryburg which is the regional centre of the region while Ganyesa is located to the north of Vryburg as can be seen in the following map.
20
A.Coleman:206075210
Source: www.places.co.za
Ganyesa
•
Figure 2.3: Map of North West Province indicating Taung and Ganyesa
Although Taung is a rural area, it has two post offices and PIT has been placed in each post office. One of the post offices which is called Taung Station Post Office, with a postal code of 8580, is situated at the shopping area, while the
21
A.Coleman:206075210
other one, which is known as Taung Post Office, with the postal code of 8584, is located near the magistrate court. Below is a picture of Taung Station Post Office.
Figure 2.4: Taung Station Post office
22
A.Coleman:206075210
2.3.1 Information and Internet Kiosks providing Educational Services: “Hole-in-the-Wall in India
A recent research article by Hiwel (2006), states that in the early 1999, Mitra and his team in Kalkaji, New Delhi, caved a hole in the wall and through this hole a freely accessible computer was put there for use. This was called a Hole-in the Wall. This computer proved to be an instant hit among the dwellers especially the children. This report further states that with no prior experience, children learnt to use the computer on their own. This prompted Mitra to propose the following hypothesis: The acquisition of basic computing skills by any set of children can be achieved through incidental learning provided the learners are given access to suitable computing facilities, with entertaining and motivating content and some minimal (human) guidance.
Further experiments about the Hole-in-the-Wall were conducted in other towns in India and the results confirmed Mitra’s experiment (Hiwel, 2006). These experiments became known as a Hole-in-the-Wall experiment. Mitra et al., (2005) defined this new way of learning as “Minimally Invasive Education” (MIE). MIE was later defined as a pedagogic method that uses the learning environment to generate an adequate level of motivation to induce learning among groups of children with minimal or no intervention by a teacher (Mitra et.al., 2005). Presently, such “Hole-in-the-Wall” facilities are known as Minimally Invasive Educational Kiosks (MIE Kiosks) and have been set up in twenty-two rural and urban locations across India (Inamdar, 2004).
23
A.Coleman:206075210
Below is a picture of a Hole-in-the-Wall learning centre at one station at Shivpuri in India.
Source: Hiwel (2005)
Figure 2.5: A Hole-in-the-wall station at Shivpuri India
According to Hiwel (2006), to prove the effectiveness of the Hole-in-the-Wall experiment, an evaluation was done by the Delhi government at Madangir in India to find out the community’s perception on the MIE Kiosks .The study was done on 248 respondents from the members of the community, and figure 2.6 below shows their responses. Their responses clearly indicate that the community believes that the learning stations are beneficial to their children (Hiwel, 2006).
24
A.Coleman:206075210
Source: Hiwel (2005)
Figure 2.6: Community Perception
2.3.2. Using Information and Internet Kiosks for improving government services to rural citizens: Gyandoot Project in India and Municipalities Services in Belgium.
In the year 2000, the State Government in Madhya Pradesh in India set up a chain of computer kiosks to help provide better access to government information and services in one of its districts, Ohar district, in India (Sanjay and Gupta, 2004). In India, as it is the case in many of the developing countries, it is not uncommon for rural villagers to travel long distances to government district headquarters in order to submit application forms, meet officials, obtain copies of public records or seek information regarding prevailing prices in commodity market (Cecchini and Scott, 2003).
In order to create a possible solution to help people access market and government services, a project which was termed Gyandoot Project was carried out by the Pradesh government by setting up 20 kiosks in 20 villages which served a population of 20,000 to 30,000 dwellers (Sanjay and Gupta, 2004). 25
A.Coleman:206075210
Such kiosks, according to Cecchini and Scott (2003), are unattended kiosks and are situated close to the clients. The potential benefits include increased transparency, less corruption, better delivery of government services and greater government responsiveness (World Bank, 2002). Other services, which were provided by the Gyandoot Project, included information that allowed farmers to track crop prices in their region’s wholesale market, and this enabled the farmers to negotiate for better prices and trade terms (Cecchini and Scott, 2003).
One clear reason for the success of rural projects like the Gyandoot Project is that the Information Kiosk is totally independent of a person’s knowledge of computers (Indian Express Group, 2003). The Gyandoot Project was awarded the Stockholm Challenge award for 2000 in the Public Service and Democracy Category and again won the Computer Society of India/Tata Consultancy Services National IT award for the best IT usage in 2000 (India Express Group, 2003). These awards, according to Sanjay and Gupta (2004) should be seen as a justifiable recognition for design innovation relevance and the potential of Information and Internet Kiosks.
Information and Internet Kiosks are increasingly gaining importance in the Indian economy and they are now being looked at as the possible solution to help India bridge the Digital divide (India Express Group, 2003).
The Belgian Municipalities at Wouluwe and Seneffe employ information technology kiosks as a means of improving service delivery to their people (Moerloose et al., 2005). The initiatives included the creation of websites and the setting up of type 4 Information Kiosks that were made available to the public (Tung and Tan, 1998). These kiosks offered a possible range of information appropriate to business and government services for residents and tourists who needed information (Moerloose et al., 2005). Again the municipality of Enschede reached the public with Information Kiosks that were designed and placed in their City Hall.
26
A.Coleman:206075210
Bhantnagar (2000) states that e-government services that are offered through Information and Internet Kiosks are cheaper, better, different and secured when compared to conventional government services, provided that the kiosks are well designed.
Source: Diz (2005)
Figure 2.7: Information Kiosk at Enschede City Hall
2.3.3 Using Public Interactive Terminals to access Public Transport Information in European Cities (Helsinki Metropolitan Area and Marseilles in Brussels)
Most European cities have now developed Information Kiosks called Public Interactive Terminals, which are located near public transport stations or stops (Infopolis 2 Consortum, 2000). There are two kinds of information that can be accessed by the public, and these are: o Travel information such as optimum route, description of itinerates, how to access the other points of the public transport network, and o General information about city activities such as cultural, commercial, sport and public events (Infopolis 2 Consortium, 2000).
27
A.Coleman:206075210
These kiosks can also be used as ticketing machines and a typical example is the touch screen kiosk that is deployed at Ahmendabad Railway Station in India, which provide vital information regarding train timings, approximate fare, domestic flight timings, catering rates and others (Infopolis 2 Consortium 2000). Below is a picture of a Public Interactive Terminal.
Source :Infopolis 2 Consortium (2000)
Figure 2.8: Public Interactive Terminal
2.3.4 Internet Kiosk as an empowerment tool for women
The Development of Humane Action (DHAN) Foundation in India initiated an Internet kiosk project for poor women at Melur in India with the aim of integrating information technology with Microfinance (Narender and Nimala 2003). As part of the initiative, 20 Internet Kiosks were established which covered 26 villages to offer various services which were owned and managed by poor women through the support of their savings and credit groups. The women’s groups that were implementing this project received technical support and guidance from DHAN Foundation. Cecchini (2001) indicate that microfinance projects that are done
28
A.Coleman:206075210
through the Internet Kiosks have enabled the poor people and their micro business to gain broader access to financial services and therefore, improving their lives.
2.4 FACTORS HAMPERING THE USE OF INFORMATION AND INTERNET KIOSKS.
2.4.1 Introduction
Cecchini and Scott (2003:73) identified three critical elements of poverty reduction efforts, namely opportunity, empowerment and security, and further states that ICT is the vehicle for achieving this poverty reduction. Again Cecchini and Scott (2003) state that the experiences from rural India show that ICT, through the use of Information Kiosks, can enhance poor people’s opportunities to access government services and other useful information.
However, there are factors that hamper the use of these information kiosks in our rural areas. The proceeding section focuses on some of the main factors that hamper rural people from using Information Kiosks.
2.4.2 Socio-economic factors
Unfortunately information and communication appear to be both a unifying and a dividing force. In other words, despite its offered advantages the use of ICT by governments will exclude those who lack access to these services and information or those who do not use them effectively. This issue is often referred to as the “digital divide” (Raab, et al., 1996; Civille, 1995; Herselman and Jacobs, 2004). However, the significance of this term is still controversial and there are some researchers who assert that an information underclass cannot be defined in terms of “have and have-not” access (Wilhelm, 2000), without including both socio-economic factors such as low income, low level of education, and lack of 29
A.Coleman:206075210
technology skills, and socio – personal factors like low level of awareness, interest and acceptance of ICT’s usage (Foley, et al., 2002). The Scottish Executives (2001) listed the following factors as some of the main contributors to digital exclusion.
Perceived or actual cost, which includes:
♦ Perceived or actual cost of personal computer and other equipment ♦ Perceived or actual cost of web-related phone calls Access: ♦ Lack of near-by /affordable facilities providing access to Web/ ICTs ♦ Lack of work –related access to ICTs and the Web to build skills and awareness.
Skills: ♦ Lack of literacy and numeric skills ♦ Lack of ICT skills ♦ Lack of knowledge/appreciation of the information and services that can be found on the web
Cultural issues: ♦ Lack of a critical mass of other web/PC users among community / friends / family ♦ Cultural issues
Personal factors: ♦ Lack of confidence ♦ Lack of credit card/bank account ♦ Fear of technology ♦ A feeling of: it is too late in life to learn about new technologies
30
A.Coleman:206075210
♦ No interest in the internet ♦ Physical difficulties such as poor eyesight, or minimal dexterity and coordination
2.4.3 Problems associated with user interface: navigation
One of the frequently addressed issues concerning accessibility of e-services and information on the Internet is the user’s unawareness about where the desired information or services are stored on the web (Santosa, 2003). In other words, when visiting a website, an individual user is presented with a fixed set of choices. Raymond et al., (1997:138) indicate that it is only by stepping through the offered choices and conforming to the prescribed organization of the web that the user can reach the document he desires. This is a navigation problem and therefore requires computer skills and experience (Darken, et al., 1999).
2.4.4 Problems associated with conceptual model of users
Norman (1998) points out that the use of any device or tool is underlined by among others, the mental or conceptual model of the user. Norman (1998:561) defines a mental model as the “information you have stored in memory about a situation, an event, or a procedure”, and this according to Norman (1998:17) is formed through experience, training and instruction. Norman (1998:189) further explains that the operation of any device, whether it is a can opener, a power generating plant or a computer system, is learned more readily and the problems are tracked down more accurately and easily, if the user has a good conceptual model about that device. Therefore, as Santosa (2003) points out, in an unfamiliar environment such as a website, users are confronted with a lack of a plan of action which will enable them to navigate through the website. Consequently, in order to resolve the problem of navigation difficulty and wayfinding in the web environment, the user should posses an appropriate conceptual model of the website. To this end, it requires that “the principle of
31
A.Coleman:206075210
operation be observable, that all actions are consistent with the conceptual mode, and that the visible parts of the device reflect the current state of the device in a way that is consistent with the model (Norman, 1998:189). Therefore, in order to ease the mental activities of the user, colour, font, and graphics must be used as way-finding cues (Ling and Schack, 2002).
Below is a picture of the screen of a PIT with fonts, graphics and colour as wayfinding cues.
Source: DoC (2003)
Figure 2.9: Screen of PIT
2.4.5 Problems associated with local acceptability of ICT
Nielson (1993) defines acceptability in terms of both practical and social acceptability as illustrated in figure 2.10. Social acceptability “is implicitly concerned with whether or not a system’s intended users and other stakeholders think that the system is a legitimate, worthwhile or ethical use of resources, regardless of how well it works by other criteria” (Whyte and Macintosh, 2003:17).
32
A.Coleman:206075210
Practical acceptability, among others, is defined by Nielson (1993) in terms of utility, usability, cost, compatibility and reliability as illustrated in Figure 2.10 below.
Source: Nielsen (1993:25) Social Acceptability System Acceptability
Utility Usefulness Cost Practical Acceptability
Usability
Compatibility
-Easy to learn
Reliability
-Efficient to use
Etc.
-Fewer errors -Easy to remember
Figure 2.10: Acceptability Structure
According to Cecchni (2001), involvement of local communities in any community based ICT project fosters the success and resilience of that ICT project. Cecchni (2001) further states that outside control and top-down approach, on the other hand, often results in a waste of resources in the initial period of the project and therefore, endanger the future sustainability of the project. A typical example given by Cecchni (2001) is the Raj Nidhi state- sponsored e-government project which failed, despite the fact that the software was easy to use and it was also in their local Hindi language. This is because of the extremely centralized planning that did not take the local communities and their conditions into consideration (Cecchni, 2001).
Furthermore, Conradie and Jacobs (2003:30) indicate that bridging the digital divide between urban and rural sectors of society encounters specific challenges
33
A.Coleman:206075210
when using ICT in support of development in rural African countries. One of such challenges is reconciling the tension between technology push and local development needs. Conradie and Jacobs (2003) further explain that, the major challenge that has to be addressed is a social challenge, which has to do with developers bringing ICT into a rural area without adequate consultation with the local communities with regard to which local needs that community would want the technology to address. A technology push development strategy which offers an ICT solution, without taking into account the local needs of the community is bound to failure.
Jacobs and Herselman (2006) summarize this by stating that the value of ICT should be found in the community-owned activities and community space where issues of importance to the community are addressed.
2.5 CONCLUSION
This chapter has focused on the definition and types of Information Kiosks that are found in many parts of the world. These are categorized as low transaction power and low information availability type of kiosks such as found at airports and railway stations; high transaction power and low information kiosks that are available at libraries, and high transaction power with high information availability type of kiosks which are found in public places for citizens to access public information such as PIT.
Furthermore, the chapter also focused on the background of Information and Internet Kiosks by taking into account some of the success and failure cases of overseas kiosks, like the Hole-in-the-Wall in India, e-government kiosks in Gyandoop and Belgium, as well as Public Interactive Terminals in Europe.
Above all, for the literature to contribute and to illuminate the understanding of the research, the literature focused on factors hampering the use of Information
34
A.Coleman:206075210
and Internet Kiosks such as socio-economic factors, the navigation problems that are encountered by users, the conceptual model of users, and the level of acceptability of ICT by rural communities.
In summing up, it can be stated that much emphasis has been given to these topics because they illustrate and focus on the usage of PIT and ICT in general by the rural communities in South Africa and other parts of the world.
The next chapter focuses on the research methodology that was used in this case study.
35
A.Coleman:206075210
Chapter 3: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Start
3.1 Introduction
3.2 Research Methodology
3.2.1 Quantitative and Qualitative Approach
3.2.2 Design
3.3 Multiple Case Study Approach
Chapter 3
3.4 Data Collection and Sampling
3.5 Data Analysis
Chapter 4
3.6 Conclusion
Figure 3.1: Chapter Three – Flow Chart 36
A.Coleman:206075210
CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 3.1 INTRODUCTION
This chapter discusses the research methodology that was used to investigate: ♦ The factors which prevent people in the Bophirima Region from using the PIT system ♦ The difficulties encountered by the users in the process of using the PIT system ♦ The level of acceptability of this PIT system in rural areas (Bophirima Region specifically) and ♦ To propose a possible solution to the outcome of the findings.
The chapter further focussed on the discussion of the research methodology, data collection tools, data collection techniques and the research methods that were employed to address the research question: What factors influence the usage of PIT in the Bophirima Region?
3.2 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
According to Oliver (2004), research is an investigation to discover facts. Research is again defined as a systematic process of collecting and analysing information (data) in order to increase our understanding of a phenomenon with which we are concerned or interested in (Leedy, 1993:3). Leedy (1993) lists eight characteristics of research which serve in defining research and states that research:
♦ Originates with a question or a problem ♦ Requires a clear articulation of a goal ♦ Follows a specific plan or a procedure
37
A.Coleman:206075210
♦ Usually divides the principal problem into manageable sub- problems ♦ Is guided by the specific research problem, question or hypothesis ♦ Accepts certain critical assumptions: These assumptions are underlying theories or ideas ♦
Requires the collection and interpretation of data in an attempt to resolve the problem that initiated the research
♦
Is by its nature, cyclical or more exactly spiral or helical.
Welman and Kruger (2005) also indicate that research is the application of various methods and techniques to create scientifically obtained knowledge by using objective methods and procedures. In this research project all the eight characteristics of research as stated by Leedy (1993) were taken into account.
3.2.1 Quantitative and Qualitative approach
Research can either be quantitative or qualitative depending on what the researcher is researching about. The distinction between quantitative and qualitative data in social research is essentially the distinction between numerical and nonnumeric data (Babbie, 2006).
Quantitative research approach focuses on providing statistically reliable information by using large samples of people (Babbie, 2006:387). Typical quantitative research techniques include survey and questionnaire, which use a selected set of questions (Babbie, 2006). Qualitative research, on the other hand, explores people’s attitude, behaviour and motives in more depth, and it usually involves small numbers (Welman and Kruger, 2005:182). Qualitative research techniques according to Mouton (2005:162) include group discussions, in-depth interviews and observations. Coombes (2001:29) further explains that in a qualitative research, the researcher tends to be close to the individuals in the research process and this helps to 38
A.Coleman:206075210
cultivate a better understanding of the experience that has taken place. According to Welman and Kruger (2005), Mouton (2005) and Babbie (2006) the features of quantitative and qualitative research can be summarized as follows:
Source: Welman and Kuger (2005), Mouton (2005) and Babbie (2005) Quantitative
Qualitative
In quantitative research we classify
The aim of qualitative analysis is a
features, count them, and construct
complete, detailed description.
statistical models in an attempt to explain what is observed Recommended during latter phase of
Recommended during earlier phase of
research project
research project
All aspects of the study are carefully
Flexible, the design emerges as the
designed before data is collected
study unfolds
Researcher uses tools, such as
Researcher is the data-gathering
questionnaires or other equipment to
instrument
collect numerical data Data is in the form of numbers and
Data is in the form of words, pictures or
statistics
objects
Researcher tends to remain
Researcher tends to become
objectively separated from the subject subjectively immersed in the subject matter
matter
Table 3.1: Summary of Quantitative and Qualitative research Babbie (2006:255) further points out that the distinction between quantitative and qualitative approach in social research is essential but both quantitative and qualitative methods are useful and legitimate in social research. We need both quantitative and qualitative research because a complete understanding of a topic often requires both techniques (Babbie, 2005). Oliver (2004:11) confirms
39
A.Coleman:206075210
that both quantitative and qualitative research approaches complement each other. For the purposes of this research, qualitative research has been chosen because it allows the researcher to research more deeply by using data collection techniques like observation and interviews. These data collection methods will be complemented by the application of a questionnaire.
3.2.2 Design
According to Babbie (2006), there are a number of research designs available to a qualitative researcher. Neil (2005) categorises these designs into five choices.
Source: Neil (2005)
Type Grounded theory
Explanation Theory is developed inductively from a corpus of data acquired by a participant-observer.
Phenomenology
Describes the structure of experience as they present themselves to consciousness, without recourse to theory, deduction, or assumptions from other disciplines.
Ethnography
Focuses on the sociology of meaning through close field observation of socio -cultural phenomena. Typically, the ethnographer focuses on a community.
Historical
Systematic collection and objective evaluation of data related to past occurrences in order to test hypotheses concerning causes, effects, or trends that may help to explain present and anticipated future events.
Case study
Attempts to shed light on a phenomenon by studying in-depth of a single case example of the phenomena. The case can be an individual person, an event, a group or an institution
40
A.Coleman:206075210
Table 3.2: Research design for qualitative research
For the purposes of this research study, a multiple case study research design was adopted as a qualitative research methodology and it is discussed in detail in the next section. To complement the case study , a model was also developed as a recommendation or final conclusion to the findings of this case study in chapter five. The next section discusses multiple case study approach.
3.3 MULTIPLE CASE STUDY APPROACH
Mouton (2005) states that a multiple case study is usually qualitative in nature and that it aims to provide an in-depth description of small number of cases. Yin (2002) defines it as an empirical inquiry that investigates a phenomenon within its real-life context. A case study research according to Yin (2002) means a single or a multiple case study that can include qualitative evidence, which relies on multiple sources for information. A case study and multiple case studies are conducted to shed light on a phenomenon, be it a process, event, person or object of interest to the researcher. According to Gall et. al., (2003) researchers embark on a case study for one or more of these three purposes: ♦ To produce detailed description of a phenomenon ♦ To develop possible explanation of it; or ♦ To evaluate the phenomenon.
Apart from the characteristics and the purpose of multiple case study designs that have been stated above, there are some advantages a researcher can accrue from applying multiple case studies. Coombes (2001:34) indicates that the advantages of multiple case studies are: ♦ It fosters the use of multiple sources of data ♦ It allows the use of a variety of research methods
41
A.Coleman:206075210
♦ It is particularly suitable where the researcher has little control over events ♦ It can fit in well with the needs of small-scale research through concentrating effort on one researcher site ♦ It can be applied or reused in different situations ♦ Theory building and theory testing researchers can both use case study approach.
The study was also complemented by applying certain data collection techniques that are applicable to case study research.
3.4 DATA COLLECTION AND SAMPLING
Arhar, Holly and Kasten (2001) list several kinds of sources for data collection, such as interview notes, observations written up in journals, documents and artefacts. McNiff (2002) adds multimedia records and surveys to the list, but points out that the method of data collection must always be appropriate to the particular research project, and that the point of the data collection must always be to gather evidence for improvement of practice. Stringer (1996: 62) contends that if interviewing is used as a data collection method, it must be guided by open-ended questions that draw from the participants the most unbiased information possible.
Therefore, it is evident that in this research, the data collection techniques should be observation, questionnaire and interviews.
The data collection was done through both primary and secondary sources. The primary data source included participants from each rural community, while the secondary data source covered different sources such as the literature review, which provided an essential preparation for the interviews and the questionnaire.
42
A.Coleman:206075210
However, the secondary data source assisted to crosscheck official information and supported the exploration of participants’ responses during the interviews.
The main data collection techniques that were applied in this study, as stated earlier, included the use of observation, questionnaires and semi-structured interview. Direct observation constituted one of the most valuable sources of information. The following table represents the data collection methods and the number of participants that were used from each community.
Data collection
Taung
Ganyesa
Number
Observation
5 Participants
5 Participants
N=10
Questionnaire
5 Participants
5 Participants
N=10
Interview
5 Participants
5 Participants
N=10
methods
Table 3.3: Data collection techniques
Both Taung and Ganyesa are rural areas in the Bophirima Region of the North West Province. Taung is situated to the south of Vryburg, which is the regional centre of the region while Ganyesa is located to the north of Vryburg, as can be seen in the map in Figure 2.3 (cf Chapter two).
The different data techniques that were applied in this study are explained in the next section.
43
A.Coleman:206075210
3.4.1 Observation
Each participant was given 20 minutes to use the PIT. A test was conducted whereby each participant was expected to perform a particular task on the PIT within that period of 20 minutes. This direct task was given to the participants to perform:
“Find a government website on AIDS and request for a support centre to be built in your community.”
The test was monitored in a form of direct observation by the researcher and video and audio recording supplemented it. A microphone was placed at the front of the computer to capture the user’s voice and comment as he or she performed the task. The focus of the camera was on the monitor of the test PIT computer. The direct observation was supplemented by brief handwritten notes by the researcher, and the video recorder was used for retrospective analyzing and for reviewing the gathered information (Edwards and Westgate, 1987).
By adopting a task-based approach (cf 1.5.2.1) in gathering the data, the main focus of the study, which was to find out the problems that the target group faced in an attempt to perform a task on the PIT, answered the main research question, namely;
What problems do rural people encounter when performing a task on the PIT?
It is worth noting that the participants’ recorded comments while performing the task, were the main focus of identifying the problems that they encountered in utilizing the PIT.
44
A.Coleman:206075210
3.4.2 Questionnaire
The questionnaire in this research was used to provide additional and complementary information to determine the users subjective preference, which according to Nielson (1993), is difficult to measure objectively .The questionnaire (cf Appendix A) was distributed to all the participants in the two communities and were collected on the same day. No subjective interventions were made during the completion of the questionnaire, although the researcher had to translate some of the English terminology into Setswana in some instances for clarification purposes. The following question was developed from the main question:
What are the factors preventing you from using the PIT for government services and information?
3.4.3 Interviews
According to Leedy (1992) interviews should be considered as a professional situation that demand proper planning and conduct on the part of the interviewer. In this research semi structured interviews were conducted with open-ended questions. Interviewees were chosen for their relevance to the conceptual question rather than their representativeness. The total number of respondents was reached heuristically. All interviews were transcribed in Microsoft Word format and extensive notes were taken. Interview transcripts and notes were analysed systematically through iterative and repeated reading of the transcripts. This made it possible to gain an increasingly profound understanding of each interviewee’s viewpoints and perspectives. The main question of the interviews from which other questions were further asked was:
What are some of the benefits of PIT to your community?
45
A.Coleman:206075210
Furthermore the postmaster of each post office was interviewed on the following questions. ♦ How many people on the average use this PIT system per day? ♦ What is the average age group of the users if there are any? ♦ What problems do the users encounter when using the PIT system? ♦ How many of these users on the average usually request for help per day on the PIT system? The data collected was discussed and analysed. The following section discusses how the data analysis for this research was handled.
3.4.4 Sampling design
Cooper and Schindler (2003:1) define a sample as a carefully selected representative part of a target population. Welman and Kruger (2001:47) state that the sample must be representative. By representativeness, Welman and Kruger (2005:47) state, “we imply that the sample has the exact properties in the exact same proportions as the population from which it was drawn, but in small numbers”.
This research employed two steps in selecting the participants. Firstly, a purposeful sampling was applied whereby population groups were selected to fit the purpose of the research. According to Babbie (2006:189) purposeful sampling is a type of non-probability sampling in which you select the units to be observed on the basis of your own judgement about which ones will be the most useful or representative. Therefore, the population groups included teachers, nurses, business people, management team leaders, students and community leaders.
46
A.Coleman:206075210
Secondly, elements within the population groups were selected randomly because in random sampling, all the items have some chance of selection, and therefore, ensures that “bias” is not introduced regarding who is included in the survey (ABS, 2004).
Five participants were selected to perform the task on the PIT machine in each village. Again another five participants were selected to answer the questionnaire. Finally five participants were again selected to respond to the interview question:
What are some of the benefits of PIT to your community?
Furthermore, the manager of each post office was interviewed to find out how people in the community were utilizing the PIT system in their post offices. The Bophirima Region was selected based on the fact that this region is regarded as consisting of rural communities and is also a region where the PIT system was implemented in the North West Province in South Africa. This region therefore fits the purpose of this study.
3.5 DATA ANALYSIS
Mouton (2005:108) defines data analysis as “breaking up” of data into manageable themes, patterns, trends and relationships. The aim of any analysis is to understand the various constitutive elements of one’s data through an inspection of the relationship between concepts, constructs or variables, and to see whether there are any patterns or trends that can be identified or isolated (Mouton, 2005:108).
47
A.Coleman:206075210
Again Babbie (2006:387) defines data analysis as the non-numerical examination and interpretation of observations for the purpose of discovering underlying meanings and patterns of relationship. In this study, data obtained from the direct observation of the task based activity, responses from the questionnaires and the notes from the interviews, were analysed by involving all the above mentioned processes in order to identify the challenges faced by the rural citizens of Taung and Ganyesa in using the PIT .It was then presented in a form of words, pictures, photos, tables or objects.
3.6 CONCLUSION
In an attempt to provide a conceptual overview of the research process, this chapter discussed the research methodology, participants, data collection, data analysis and the methods that were applied in this research. The analysis of data and the findings are reported in the next chapter.
48
A.Coleman:206075210
Chapter 4: FINDINGS & ANALYSIS
Start
4.1 Introduction
4.2 Results dealing with the problems encountered when performing a task on the PIT
4.3 Results dealing with the factors preventing users from using the pit system Chapter4 4.4 Results dealing with the community perception of the benefit of the pit system
4.5 Interviews
4.6 Analysis and interpretation Chapter 5
4.7 Summary and Conclusion
Figure 4.1: Chapter FOUR – Flow Chart 49
A.Coleman:206075210
CHAPTER 4: FINDINGS AND ANALYSIS 4.1 INTRODUCTION
The previous chapter indicated the methodology employed in this study to obtain the data in order to address the research questions. This chapter presents the findings, analysis and interpretation of the data obtained from the processes of direct observation, questionnaire and interviews conducted. The process of data analysis involved working with data, organizing them, breaking them into manageable units, synthesizing them, searching for patterns, discovering what was important and what was to be learned and deciding what to tell others (Ary, Jacobs and Razavieh, 1990: 451).
This study is a multiple case study and Creswell (1998: 81) states that the real business of a case study is to take a particular case and come to know it well, not particularly as to how it is different from others but for what it is and what it does. The main research question follows:
What are the factors influencing the usage of PIT in the Bophirima Region?
For data collection instruments (direct observation, questionnaires and interviews) to be effective the main research question was broken down into sub questions and the different measuring instruments were applied.
Below is the summary of the sub questions and the data collection instruments used.
50
A.Coleman:206075210
SUB QUESTION
Direct Questionnaire Observation
1 What problems do X rural people encounter when trying to perform a task on the PIT? 2 What are the factors, which prevent the rural people from using the PIT for government services and information? 3 What are some of the benefits of the PIT to the communities? Table 4.1: Data collection Plan
Interview Literature X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
4.2 RESULTS DEALING WITH THE PROBLEMS ENCOUNTERED WHEN PERFORMING A TASK ON THE PIT
The following section presents the responses to the sub questions as reflected in Table 4.1 above.
What problems do you encounter when performing a task on the PIT?
The study resulted in identifying six problems, which are presented in this section. It is worth noting that the recorded comments of the participants during the test played a decisive role in the identification of the problems that were discovered. Therefore, this presentation of findings of the study includes some samples of the participants’ comments, which are summarized as follows:
51
A.Coleman:206075210
4.2.1 Too much information
One of the problems that many of the participants, irrespective of their ability with computers and Internet, faced when they were introduced to the start page of the PIT website was the ability to distinguish between the relevant and irrelevant information presented.
PARTICIPANT RESPONSE: Ahs, ok, should I read all these? Where should I begin? It will take all the time to read all these.
The observation showed that the experienced and inexperienced users behaved differently when dealing with the problem. The experienced participants tend to ignore parts of the information while studying other parts in detail. On the other hand, inexperienced users tended to have greater difficulty in coping with the amount of information. Because of their lack of experience, it was more difficult for them to recognize hyperlinks and separate them from plain text. They were then forced to read almost all the text from top to bottom of the web page.
4.2.2 Slow response time of the PIT machine
The other issue that caused difficulties for the participants was the server’s slow response time. This problem was common to both experienced and inexperienced users. On some occasions as no responses were received within an adequate time, frustration set in and participants started performing other task such as highlighting other hyperlinks. Some even began to question their own action and blame themselves for the error that had occurred.
PARTICIPANT RESPONSE: Is there something wrong with the computer? or it is my fault? I need to click on this, isn’t it
52
A.Coleman:206075210
4.2.3 Difficulty to manage computer.
The test also revealed that many of the users found it difficult to operate the PIT machine. This was caused by their lack of knowledge regarding the use of computers and the Internet. Since many of the participants in the test were inexperienced computer users, they had difficulties in properly managing the test computer or the PIT.
4.2.4 Language difficulty
Language difficulty was found to be one of the major and common problems among the participants in the test. Most of the participants are second language speakers of English with Setswana as their first language and therefore confronted by difficulties in grasping the words and phrases used on the website.
PARTICIPANT RESPONSE: What is the meaning of link on this computer?
4.2.5 Lack of pleasure and benefit
During the test, many of the participants commented upon the lack of pleasure and benefit of the website which in turn resulted in a lack of motivation to use the services offered by the PIT. Instead, participants’ preferred communication channels such as the telephone. They consider the site to be boring. They also could not find any benefits that the use of the website could offer them if it is to be used for reporting. Furthermore they suggested that performing the same task by using the telephone would take a fraction of the time spent in performing the required task. PARTICIPANT RESPONSE :It is so boring. I can do other things that are more pleasurable. Their telephone number is on this PIT. Why not telephone them to avoid this PIT machine?
53
A.Coleman:206075210
4.2.6 Difficulty in distinguishing between hyper links and plain text
As mentioned earlier, many participants and particularly the inexperienced ones, had major difficulties in distinguishing between hypertext and plain text in the website.
PARTICIPANT RESPONSE: I find the word report but I cannot click on it.
Even those with some experience of using the Internet had difficulties in differentiating between presented hyperlinks and plain text. They expected that a hyperlink should be blue and therefore it was a surprise to them to note that the text on the right side of the web page of the PIT represented links to other WebPages. One of the comments on this issue was:
PARTICIPANT RESPONSE: But there are no links because these are not blue.
It is evident from the above findings that many of the participants do not know how to operate the PIT system because they are unable to distinguish between relevant and irrelevant information, understand the language used on the computer, and above all to distinguish between hyper links and plain text on the screen.
The problems they encountered when trying to perform a task on the PIT system is based on the fact that the participants are unfamiliar with the website environment such as those on the PIT. This unfamiliarity of the web environment is due to the participants’ lack of conceptual model of the PIT system. The issue of conceptual model is indicated by Norman (1998:46) that the use of any device or tool is understood if the user has a conceptual model of it. Norman (1998:46) further defines mental model as the information one has stored in memory about a situation, an event or procedure. Santosa (2003:223) proceeded to add that in
54
A.Coleman:206075210
an unfamiliar environment such as a website, users are confronted with a lack of plan of action. Therefore, it is evident from the above that the participants had no conceptual model of the PIT system, and thus, had no plan of action to perform the task.
The next section reports on the responses obtained from the questionnaire.
4.3 RESULTS DEALING WITH THE FACTORS PREVENTING USERS FROM USING THE PIT SYSTEM
The second research sub-question endeavored to establish the factors preventing a user from using a PIT system to gather information around government services.
What are the factors, which prevent you as a user from using the PIT for the government services and information provided? The following data collection instruments were used to answer this research question: ♦ Questionnaire ♦ Observation. The distributed questionnaires were all returned to the researcher. The findings are reported below Questionnaire
Number
Number received
Response Rate
distributed Taung
5
5
100 %
Ganayesa
5
5
100%
Table 4.2: Returned questionnaires
55
A.Coleman:206075210
4.3.1 Few participants with personal computers and Internet at home The participants were asked to indicate if they had personal computers and Internet at home. Out of the 10 participants four indicated having computers at home and two among the four have Internet. This constituted 40% and 20% respectively.
Participants with personal computers and Internet
40%
With personal Computer Without Computer With Internet No Internet
60% 1 20%
80%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
% of Participants Figure 4.2: Percentage of participants’ with/without computers and Internet.
56
A.Coleman:206075210
4.3.2 Frequency of visit to post offices by participants
Question two on the questionnaire provided information on how often participants visited their local post office per week for activities like opening post box, posting a letter, buying stamps and paying telephone bills. The following responses were noted: ♦ 50% of the participants visited their local post office three times or more per week, ♦ 30% stated twice per week and ♦ 20% indicated once per week. ♦ None of the participants stayed without visiting the post office in a single week.
Participants Visit to thier local Post office per week
20%
0%
3 Times per week 2 time per week 50%
Once per week None
30%
Figure 4.3: Participants’ visit to their local post office per week.
57
A.Coleman:206075210
4.3.3 Participants’ usage of PIT per week
Question 3 on the questionnaire extracted information on how participants regularly used the PIT services. It was noted that out of the 10 participants only two use the PIT once per week. One person indicated using it twice a week. The remaining 7 participants never used the PIT.
The table below indicates the number of participants and their frequency of PIT usage.
Participants Once per week Number Percentage
Twice per
Thrice per
week
week
None at all
2
1
0
7
20%
10%
0%
70%
Table 4.3: Frequency of PIT usage
The next section discusses other factors that prevented the participants from using the PIT system. 4.3.4 Other factors preventing participants from using PIT
The objective of Part B of the questionnaire was to investigate the factors preventing the participants from using the PIT. Eleven items selected from the framework of Scottish Executives (2001), which list a number of factors hampering the use of ICT, were given to participants to choose the factors, which they consider as having impact on their use of PIT. These options, together with participants’ responses, are illustrated in the following Table.
58
A.Coleman:206075210
Option Factor 1
Number of participants
Lack of awareness of PIT services at my
9
local post office 2
Too expensive to purchase activation
5
voucher 3
Lack of ICT skills
7
4
Lack of numeric skills
0
5
My culture prevents me from using ICT
0
facilities 6
Lack of confidence
7
7
Lack of bank accounts
0
8
Fear of technology
7
9
Too late in life to learn about technology
5
10
No interest in the Internet
1
11
My physical disability prevents me
0
Table 4.4: Factors hampering participants’ use of PIT
The above responses are presented as percentages in Figure 4.4 below.
59
A.Coleman:206075210
PARTICIPANTS RESPONSES TO FACTORS PREVENTING THEM FROM USING PIT
90% 80% 70%
OPTION1 OPTION 2 OPTION 3 OPTION 4 OPTION 5 OPTION 6 OPTION 7 OPTION 8 OPTION 9 OPTION 10 OPTION 11
60% 50% PERCENTAGES 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% 1 OPTIONS
Figure 4.4: Participants’ responses to factors preventing them from using PIT It is evident from the participants’ responses that the greatest factor, which prevents them from using the PIT services in Bophirima Region, is the lack of awareness of the PIT services in their local post office. A high percentage of participants are not aware that the PIT machine can offer services like e-mails, Internet browsing and educational services, despite the fact that they visit their local post office regularly. This is supported by the literature study where Cecchini (2001) indicates that the involvement of local communities in any community based ICT project fosters the success of that project. In that case the community becomes aware of the services the ICT project can offer them, as they were involved in its set up. Again Conradie and Jacobs (2003) stress the
60
A.Coleman:206075210
importance of adequate consultation with the local community with regard to the success of ICT project in that community.
In this research study, it appears that the local communities of Taung and Ganyesa were neither consulted nor involved in the setting up of the PIT services project and therefore were not aware of PIT and the services it offers, and, thus do not use the PIT. Apart from the lack of awareness, it is also evident that the lack of ICT skills, confidence and the fear of technology contributed to the factors, which prevent participants from using the PIT system. However the greatest factor among the other factors preventing participants’ use of PIT is awareness. This finding is supported by literature (cf chapter 2) where Scottish Executives (2000) has stated that lack of awareness can contribute to digital exclusion.
4.4 RESULTS DEALING WITH THE COMMUNITY PERCEPTION OF THE BENEFIT OF THE PIT SYSTEM
In section C of the questionnaire participants were asked to indicate some of the benefits they thought PIT could bring to the community and state any additional comment they had about PIT. The question was:
What are some of the benefits of the PIT to your community?
The aim of the question was to determine the social acceptability of PIT by the community members and the following responses were received. A large percentage of respondents (approximately 50%) indicated that the PIT is very good and will provide opportunity for learning computers. The second biggest percentage of respondents (approximately 20%) indicated that it would help their children in their search for jobs. Furthermore 20% of the respondents
61
A.Coleman:206075210
stated that the PIT services would support their children’s education and another 10 % of the participants said the PIT would link them to other parts of the world. The summary of the results is indicated in figure 4.5 below.
Community Perception about PIT
50% 20%
Very good for computer learning Job search Children Education Link to Outside world
10%
20%
Figure 4.5: Community perception about PIT
It is evident from the above responses that the PIT system is socially acceptable to the community members. However, many of the people in Taung and Ganyesa do not use it because they are not aware of the PIT and the services it can offer. The lack of ICT skills and the lack of confidence and the fear of technology prevent the people from using the PIT services because no one has taken the trouble to introduce them to the services offered by the PIT. Again the few who know about the PIT are not interested in using the PIT because the PIT does not provide local information such as payment dates of social grants, payment of electricity and water bills.
The next section reports on the responses of the interviews.
62
A.Coleman:206075210
4.5 INTERVIEWS
Interviews were conducted and the interviewees’ responses were used to complement the findings from the observation and the questionnaire .The interviews again made it possible to gain profound understanding of each interviewee’s viewpoint on sub question three. The question reads:
What are some of the benefits of PIT to your community?
The following responses were recorded as indicated in Table 4.5 below.
Research
Respondent
Responses
Question Respondent 1:
“I think one of the benefits of PIT is to link Taung to the world”
Respondent 2:
“It improves social relationship among the people whereby the people come together”
What are some of the benefits of PIT to your community?
“It also helps the people to look for job through the Internet”
Respondent 3:
Respondent 4
“Eheee! Learners can do research with the PIT”
Respondent 5
“Yaah! I think it can help to obtain information from the PIT”
Respondent 3:
“ Let the Department of Communication advertise this PIT”
Table 4.5: Interview responses from participants It is evident from the responses that the people view PIT as a medium to link them to other parts of the world and to improve the social conditions of the
63
A.Coleman:206075210
community. However one of the respondents concluded by stating that the Department of Communication should advertise and make the people aware of PIT so that people will know about PIT.
Furthermore, the postmaster of each post office was interviewed and the responses are tabled below. Response from Postmaster: TAUNG How many people on the People don’t average use the PIT per day? come. Sometimes one person or nobody. What is the average age group of Between 15-50 the users if there are any? years What problems do the users Slow Internet. encounter when using the PIT? Sometimes there is no connection of the Internet. They are also not able to print How many of these users on the Almost all the average usually request for help people who come per day on the PIT? to the PIT
Question
1
2 3
4
Response from Postmaster: GANYESA Maybe one or two, People don’t know about PIT. Maybe 20 to 45 No printer. The Pit sometimes breaks down and it takes a long time to repair Many of them, sometimes we also don’t know what to do.
Table 4.6: Responses from postmasters From the responses obtained from both postmasters, it is evident that many people don’t know about PIT and the services it can offer. Again the few people who use the PIT system, encounter problems like slow connectivity and printing. Another problem encountered by users is the skill to surf on the Internet, and this makes them ask for help whenever they are on the PIT machine. Despite the problems that have been stated above, it is evident that the community of Taung and Ganyesa accept the PIT services as something good that can improve the social conditions of the community and link them to other parts of the world. This is in agreement with the India Express Group’s (2003) findings, which indicated that the Gyandoot project in India was well received by
64
A.Coleman:206075210
the community and the community saw it as a possible solution to help bridge the digital divide in India (cf chapter2)
4.6 ANALYSES AND INTERPRETATION
In general, the identified problems that were presented in the previous section involved the identification of the following obstacles, which are highlighted by literature in chapter two. ♦ The overload of information The study showed that in many cases the PIT users found themselves overwhelmed by information on the PIT (cf 4.2.1). This matter causes cognitive overload in the users, especially when attempting to scan through the presented information. This issue is addressed in terms of problems associated with user interface (cf 2.4.3). This problem is described by Santosa (2003) as the inability of users to find the desired information or services on the web. Furthermore cognitive overload impairs the users’ ability to separate the relevant and irrelevant information and decrease their judgment and decision making capability (Schroder, et al., 1967). ♦ The absence of an appropriate conceptual model.
The purpose of a website is to provide its visitors with appropriate information and services in order to perform their tasks. This matter requires the website to be both functional and usable. In this sense, usability defines the degree of compatibility of the website with the user’s cognitive characteristics (Goodwin 1987). As this study has indicated, the participants’ failure in performing the desired tasks (cf 4.2.3) was partly caused by the mismatch between their understanding and the designer’s or service provider’s understanding regarding the structure and logic behind the menu, frame and hyperlinks that are provided. Therefore, as Santosa (2003) points out, in an unfamiliar website environment
65
A.Coleman:206075210
such as the PIT, users are confronted with a lack of plan of action which will enable them to navigate through the website. ♦ The use of inconvenient language. The use of terminologies in the test website proved to be one of the participants’ difficulties when attempting to find and utilize the services (cf 4.2.4). This issue also includes the use of bureaucratic language, which was found to be an obstacle to the user. The Hole in the wall project (cf 2.3.1) succeeded in twenty-two rural villages in India (Inamdar, 2004) partly because the website for the children provided interesting, entertaining, easy to read and understandable language (Hiwel, 2006). ♦ Computer skills and confidence
Lack of computer skills showed up as one of the obstacles participants’ encountered (cf 4.3.4). One of the causes of the lack of computer skills was that only few participants owned personal computers and Internet at their homes. Again the 70% of the participants who indicated “lack of computer skills “ as one of the causes for not using the PIT services did not own their personal computers at home. This matter is reflected in the Scottish Executives (2001) list of factors as one of the causes of digital exclusion. Furthermore, the lack of computer skills and confidence among the participants led to the fear of using the PIT. This is in accordance with the Scottish Executives (2001), which listed the fear of technology as one of the factors that hamper the use of ICT (cf 2.4.2). ♦ Awareness of PIT and its services
This is the most single item or option which majority of the participants (90%) indicated through the questionnaire and the interviews as the main factor that influenced the participants’ use of PIT (cf 4.3.4). Ninety percent (90%) of the participants indicated that they were not aware of the services of the PIT, which 66
A.Coleman:206075210
are placed in their local post offices. This is confirmed by the seventy percent (70%) of the participants who stated that they have never used the PIT machine before, yet they visit the post office regularly for other transactions (cf 4.3.3). The opposite of this scenario arose in the Gyandoot Project (cf 2.3.2) where the community was made aware of the benefits of the Internet Kiosk that was situated closer to them (Indian Express Group, 2003) and this mainly contributed to the success of that project.
Another success story of community awareness was the implementation of Information Kiosks at Belgian Municipalities at Wouluwe and Seneffe (cf 2.3.2). The Kiosks offered a range of information that was appropriate to business and government services to the residents and tourists who needed it (Moerloose et.al., 2005). The people were made aware of these services and that is why they used them. Cecchini (2001) contends that the involvement of local communities in any community based ICT project fosters the success of that project (cf 2.4.5). Conradie and Jacobs (2003) state that bringing ICT to a rural area without adequate consultation with the local community with regard to which local needs that the community would want the technology to address is bound to fail (cf 2.4.5). Adequate consultation in the Bophirima Region will foster awareness and regular usage of PIT among the community members. ♦ Benefits and acceptance of PIT
A large percentage of participants (50%) indicated that PIT services are very good and needed in the community (cf 4.4). This indicates that the community’s perception about PIT is favorable as in the case of the Gyandoot project where the public saw it as a possible solution to help India bridge the digital divide (India Express Group 2003). Again 20% of the participants indicated that it helps with job search while another 20% indicated that it would help their children in their education. Finally 10% of the participants said it would link them to other parts of the world.
67
A.Coleman:206075210
The indicated benefits by the participants show social acceptance by the community. This is addressed by White and Macintosh (2003:17) who indicate that social acceptability is implicitly concerned with whether or not a system’s intended users and other stakeholders think that the system has a legitimate, worthwhile or ethical use of resources, regardless of how well it works by other criteria. From the responses received from the participants it can be concluded that the communities of Taung and Ganyesa accept PIT although majority of the community members are not aware of the services that PIT can offer.
4.7 SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS
It is evident that the research question namely: What problems do participants encounter when trying to perform a task on the PIT system?, provided a partial response to the main research question. The responses from the participants were, overload of information on the website of the PIT system which made it difficult for participants to distinguish between relevant and irrelevant information, the slow response time of the PIT system which caused difficulties for the participants and the difficult language that is used on the PIT system. The Participants also showed less interest in the use of the PIT system because the system does not offer local information such as pay out of social grants and payments of other accounts. Apart from these responses, which partially answered the main research question, the second sub question: what are the factors, which prevent you as a user from using the PIT for government services and information?, provided further answers to the main research question. The participants indicated the lack of computer skills and confidence, fear of technology and particularly the lack of awareness of PIT services at their local post offices as the main factors that prevented them from using the PIT.
68
A.Coleman:206075210
Finally the interview, which was the third sub research question namely: what are some of the benefits of PIT system to your community? received responses from the participants which indicated that the PIT system was well accepted by the community. However, above-mentioned obstacles affect the usage of PIT by the participants.
In conclusion the responses received from the participants in the three sub questions outlined above, answered the main research question: which factors influence the usage of PIT system in the Bophirima Region, in that the responses the participants gave answered the factors that prevent the Taung and Ganyesa community members from using the PIT system. The next chapter provides recommendations, business model and conclusion to these findings.
69
Chapter 5 RECOMMENDATION AND CONCLUSION
A.Coleman:206075210
Start
5.1 Introduction
5.2 Summary of the research findings
5.3 Recommendations to the findings
Chapter 5
5.4 A Model for PIT users in the Bophirima Region
5.5 Limitations of the research
5.6 Recommendation for further research 5.7 Conclusion Dissertation
END
Figure 5.1: Chapter FIVE – Flow Chart 70
A.Coleman:206075210
CHAPTER 5: RECOMMENDATION AND CONCLUSION 5.1 INTRODUCTION
The previous chapter provided the findings of this case study and these were expressed in the light of the research question and sub-questions, which further provided a framework for discussion of the findings. This chapter summarizes the research findings, provides recommendations to the findings, suggests a model for PIT users in the Bophirima Region, states the research limitations, proposes some recommendations for further research and finally gives the research conclusion.
5.2 SUMMARY OF THE RESEARCH FINDINGS
The aim of this study was to determine the factors influencing the usage of PIT system in the Bophirima Region. This necessitated the findings for: ♦ Problems encountered by users when trying to perform a task on the PIT system. ♦ Factors which prevent users from using the PIT for government services and information, and the ♦ Benefit of PIT system to the communities of Taung and Ganyesa.
5.2.1 Problems encountered by users when trying to perform a task on the PIT system. The study resulted in identifying the following problems as participants were performing the task on the PIT system: ♦ Overload of information on the web of the PIT. ♦ The absence of appropriate conceptual model of the participants. ♦ The use of inconvenient language on the web. ♦ The slow response of the PIT system.
71
A.Coleman:206075210
5.2.2 Factors preventing users from using the PIT system for government services and information The following obstacles were noted as factors preventing the participants from using the PIT services: ♦ Lack of awareness of the PIT services to the community people. ♦ Lack of computer skills and confidence of the community people, and the ♦ Fear of technology.
5.2.3 Benefits of PIT system to the community as indicated by the participants. The following were stated by participants as some of the benefits that PIT system will bring to the community: ♦ Help the community members to search for jobs ♦ Link the community to the outside world. ♦ Help their children’s education. ♦ Help them obtain relevant information. The responses from the participants show a positive social acceptance of the PIT system. However, the problems stated above hamper the usage of PIT to the full benefit of the community.
5.3 RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE FINDINGS
The following recommendations are based on the outcomes of the case study. The participants from Taung and Ganyesa encountered similar difficulties when performing activities on the PIT. Again the responses from the participants on the question of factors that prevent users from using the PIT for government services and information were the same for participants from both Taung and Ganyesa. Therefore the recommendations that are made below are to assist the participants of both Taung and Ganyesa to effectively utilize the PIT services in their local communities. A further proposal of a model for PIT users is
72
A.Coleman:206075210
suggested to assist the post masters and the participants to sustain and effectively utilize the PIT system in the Bophirima Region.
5.3.1 The use of Human Assistant for PIT users in Taung and Ganyesa.
It was observed that the participants could not operate the PIT system when given the task to perform on the PIT machine. It is therefore recommended that the postmasters of both Taung and Ganyesa hire someone to be referred to as a trained human assistant who will be seated by the side of the PIT system at the Taung and Ganyesa post offices to assist the people who do not know how to operate or find information on the PIT system. Fig 5.2 below demonstrates the activities of the human assistant.
User
Dialogue
The human assistant
The desired information
The available information
Figure 5.2: Activities of the Human Assistant.
The above diagram demonstrates the role of the human assistant. The human assistant will interact with the user and direct and assist the user to find the appropriate and desired information on the PIT system. Again the human assistant will train the users on the usage of the PIT system.
73
A.Coleman:206075210
5.3.2 The use of local Setswana language and information for the Bophirma Region It was also noted that the participants from both Taung and Ganyesa could not understand the language on the web of the PIT system. It is therefore recommended that information stored on the server be made more meaningful and relevant to the local users of the PIT system. Therefore the web application must have an alternative local language Setswana, and to the extent possible, be visually oriented. Information stored in the server must be meaningful and relevant to the local community people.
5.3.3 Create the awareness of PIT among the local community people of Taung and Ganyesa. One of the major findings was the lack of awareness of PIT services among the participants of Taung and Ganyesa. It is therefore important that the availability/existence of PIT system and its services and usefulness need to be communicated /marketed to the communities and their leaders, teachers, students, nurses and all other people in the community through various media and channels such as local radio stations, local tribal meetings and other workshops in a bid to increase visibility and awareness of the PIT system. Attempts can also be made by allowing the chiefs to allow representatives from the DoC and the South African Post Office to give presentations about the usefulness of PIT and the services that the PIT can offer to the local community people during traditional tribal meetings.
5.3.4 Voluntary training of community members of Taung and Ganyesa in the use of PIT Another problem, which came out during the study, was the inability of the participants of both Taung and Ganyesa to operate the PIT machine. This was due to the lack of ICT skills of the participants.
74
A.Coleman:206075210
Therefore it is recommended that voluntary training be given to the local community members once every month to expose them to the use of PIT and its benefits. This can be done by the appointment of a trained human assistant or any trained computer user.
5.3.5 Promote local ownership of the PIT for users of Taung and Ganyesa. Participants indicated their acceptance of the PIT system in both the Taung and Ganyesa communities, and for them to be effectively involved in the usage of the PIT system, it is recommended that any new application or program introduced on the PIT system must be done in collaboration with the local community people through the community leaders. It is equally recommended that programmes must reflect the needs of the communities. Communities like Taung and Ganyesa will highly accept programs that give them information on their social grants and the days of payment of such grants, the payment of electricity and water bills and the payment of monthly account instalments.
5.4
A MODEL FOR PIT USERS IN THE BOPHIRIMA REGION.
According to Arsham (2006), a model is an external and explicit representation of a part of reality as it is seen by an individual who wishes to use the model to understand, change, manage and control that part of reality. Arsham (2006) further states that the purpose of a model is to aid in designing a solution and to assist in understanding a problem. Therefore, the suggested model for this study will be an extended service model, which will add to the existing services of PIT as outlined in the literature, namely, e-mail services, educational services, SMS services and business services (cf 2.3). The findings from the participants indicated that the local people need specific local content information such as information on social grant and social grant payment dates, payment of electricity and water bills and the payment of monthly instalment account.
75
A.Coleman:206075210
In addition to these, the participants indicated lack of ICT skills, which require training by using the PIT system. From the above needs of the community, it is proposed that the existing services on the PIT system be extended to include sector specific information services as indicated above.
The next figure (cf figure5.3) demonstrates a model of the extended services of the PIT system.
Extended PIT Services
Existing PIT Services
Sector Specific information: E-mail
PIT Educational Services SMS Services
Social grants & dates. Electricity & water. Monthly instalment accounts
Sustainability & Effective Usage
Training services Local content
Business services
Local Language
SUPPORTED BY
HUMAN ASSISTANT & INTENSIVE MARKETING Figure 5.3: A model for PIT users in the Bophirima Region.
76
A.Coleman:206075210
The inclusion of these two components, sector specific information and training services of the extended services of the PIT system could then be supported with intensive marketing, which will attract a large number of PIT users. The large number of users will produce high volume business in the extended components, which will in turn create the fundamental cash flow needed to support the PIT and its existing services, which have so far proven not to be attractive. Furthermore, the human assistant will help to improve the services offered by the PIT system by interacting and assisting the users to obtain the desired information from the PIT system which will again improve usage of the PIT system by people of the Bophirima Region.
5.5
LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY
The research was a case study to find out the factors, which influence the usage of the PIT system in Taung and Ganyesa in the Bophirima Region of the North West Province. Therefore the findings cannot be generalized without further research into other regions. However the findings and recommendations of the study can be adopted and applied in other communities with similar difficulties in utilizing the benefits of the PIT system.
5.6
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH
Further research can be undertaken to find out the following: ♦ The relationship between the factors, which affect the use of PIT system in rural communities and youth development. ♦ The cost benefit of PIT system to the South African Post Office. ♦ The effectiveness of the use of human assistant at the PIT stations.
77
A.Coleman:206075210
5.7
CONCLUSION
The results from the research indicate that a need exists for PIT to be effectively used to bridge the digital exclusion of our local communities in South Africa. It is therefore imperative that local communities be made aware of the services and the benefits of the PIT system through their local chiefs, municipalities and community radio stations. Above all, the recommendations of human assistant, the use of local language, creating awareness, providing voluntary training and promoting local ownership need careful attention if the PIT system is to be successfully and effectively used in our rural communities.
78
A.Coleman:206075210
6. REFERENCES
ARHAR, J. M., HOLLY, M. L. AND KASTEN, W. G. 2001. Action research for teachers: Travelling the yellow brick road. Upper Saddle river, NJ: Merrill Prentice Hall. ARSHAM, H. 2006. Time-Critical Decision Making for Business Administration: Times series analysis for Business forecasting. [Online]. Available from: http://home.ubalt.edu/ntsbarsh/stat-data/forcast.htm Accessed on 10/02/2007. ARY, D., JACOBS, L. C. AND RAZAVIEH, A. 1990. Introduction to research in education. 4th edition. London: Harcourt Brace College. AUSTRALIAN BUREAU OF STASISTICS (ABS), 2004. Education ServicesStatistics, A powerful Edge, Sampling Methods: Random sampling. [Online]. Available from: http://www.abs.gov.au/websitedbs Accessed: 31/08/2006. BABBIE, E. 2006. The basics of social research. Belmont, California: Thomson Wadsworth. BHANTNAGAR, S. 2000. Social implications of Information and Communication Technology in developing Countries: Lesson from Asia Success Stories. EJISDC 1,4:1-9. [Online] Available: http://www.ejisdc.org Accessed: 15/08/2006. CASTELLS, M. 1998. The information Age 3: End of Millennium. Blackwell, Oxford: 92-95. CECCHINI, S. 2001. Back to office Report: Information and Communication Technology for Poverty Reduction in Rural India Mimeo. World Bank: Washington D.C. [Online]: Available from: www.developmentgateway.org Accessed: 15/10/2007.
79
A.Coleman:206075210
CECCHINI, S. AND SCOTT, C. 2003. Can Information and Communication Technology Application contribute to Poverty Reduction? Lesson from Rural India. Santiago: ECLAC, United Nations Casilla 179-D. CIVILLE, R.1995.The Internet and the poor, in Public Access to the Internet. US: MIT Press Cambridge Mass. CRESWELL, J. W. 1998. Qualitative inquiry and research design. London: Sage. CONRADIE, D.P. AND JACOBS, S.J. 2003. Challenges encountered when using ICTs (Information and Communication Technologies) in support of development in rural African Communities. Engineering Management: 30-33. COOMBES, H. 2001. Research Using IT. Basingstoke: Palgrave. COOPER, D.R. AND SCHINDLER, P. S. 2003. Business Research Methods. New York: McGraw-Hill/Irwin. CORREA, A.F., NDIAYE, D., MCHOMBU, K.J., RODRIGUEZ, G.M. AND ROSENBER, D. 1997. Rural Information Provision and Developing Countries: Measuring Performance and Impact. Paris: UNESCO (C11-97/Ws/11). CTA, 1996. The role of Information for rural development in ACP countries: review and perspective: Proceedings of an international seminar. Wageningen CTA: 207. DARKEN, R. P., ALLARD, T. AND ACHILLE, L.B. 1999. A theoretical model of way-finding in Virtually Environment: Proposal Strategies for Navigational Aiding. Presence (8, 9): 671-685. DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNICATION (DoC) . 2003. Public Internet Terminals. (PIT)[Online] Available from: http://www.doc.gov.za/PIT_Sumy.htm Accessed: 18/08/2006.
80
A.Coleman:206075210
EDWARDS, A.D. AND WESTGATE, D.P.G 1987.Investigating Classroom Talk. Lewes: Flamer Press. FOLEY, P., ALFONSO, X. AND GHANI, S. 2002. The Digital Divide in a World City. Published by the Greater London Authority, London. [Online]. Available from: www.casa.ucl.uk/cyberspace/london_digital_divide.pdf Accessed: 13/10/2006. GALL, M.D., BORG, W.R. AND GALL, J. P.2003. Educational research: An Introduction. (7th Edition). White plains, New York: Longman. GOODWIN, N.1987. Functionality and Usability. Communications of the ACM: 229-233. HAMILTON, G. 1997. Science and Technology Information in South Africa: new direction for library and Information service. INASP Newsletter, 8: 11-12. HARIRI, S., GOODYEAR, L., ANDERSON, C., AND MEYER, J. 1997. Cardio Pharm: Interactive multimedia health promotion software for community pharmacy. Nutrition and Food science, Vol. 2 No. 3: 71-5. HERSELMAN, M.E. AND BRITTON, K.G. 2002. Analysing the role of ICT in bridging the digital divide amongst learners. South African Journal of Education, Vol. 22 (4): 270-274. HIWEL. 2006. Research Findings Hole-in-the-wall; Lighting the spark of Learning. [Online]. Available from: http://www.hole-in-the-wall.com/findings.html Accessed 17/10/2006. ICT CHARTER. 2004. ICT Empowerment Charter: Working Group Research Unit.[Online].Available from: http://www.ictcharter.org.zaAccessed 13/10/2006. INAMDAR, P. 2004. Computer skills development by children using ‘hole in the wall’ facilities in rural India. Australasian Journal of Education Technology, 20(3):
81
A.Coleman:206075210
337-350. [Online] Available from: http://www.ascilite.org.au/ajet/ajet20/inamdar.html Accessed: 22/10/2006. INDIAN EXPRESS GROUP. 2003. Kiosk market comes of age. Express COMPUTER: India’s NO.1 IT Business Weekly. [Online]. Available from: www.expresscomputeronline.com/20030421/indtrend1.shtml Accessed: 10/10/2006. INFOPOLIS2 CONSORTIUM. 2000.Public Interactive Terminal (PIT). Infoplis2Information Kiosk. [Online]. Available from: http://www.ul.ie/~infopolis/scope/kiosk.htmlAccessed: 16/10/2006. JACOBS, S.J. AND HERSLMAN, M. E. 2005. AN ICT-Hub model for rural communities. International Journal of Education and Development using ICT-Vol. No. 3. JACOBS, S.J. AND HERSLMAN, M. E. 2006. Information Access for development: A case study at a rural community centre in South Africa. Issues in Informing Science and Information Technology. Vol.3. KARCHER, M. D. 2001. Public Internet Kiosks offer web access. Leatherneck. Quantico: Vol. 84,Issue 11:80-83. LEEDY, P.D. 1992. Practical Research: Planning and Design. New Jersey: Prentice Hall. LEEDY, P.D 1993. Practical Research: Planning and Design. Columbus, Ohio: Merrill: 3-12 LEEDY, P.D 1997. Practical Research: Planning and Design. Columbus, Ohio: Merrill.
82
A.Coleman:206075210
IFLA-ALP. 1995. Seminar on information provision to rural communities in Africa: Proceedings of the seminar held in Gaborone, Botswana, 22-25 June 1994. Uppsala, Uppsala University Library.149p. (ILFA-ALP Project Report; No. 3). LING, J. AND VAN SCHAIK, P. 2002. The effect of text and background colour on Visual Search of web pages. Displays (23):223-230. MATSEPE-CASABURRI. 2000. Speech by Communications Minster at the Official Opening of the Tshwane Mail Centre in Pretoria. [Online]. Available from: http://www.polity.org.za/html/govdocs/speeches/2000/sp0904.html Accessed: 15 /11/2006 MCNIFF, J. 2002. Action research for professional development: concise advice for new action researches.[Online]. Available from: http://www.jeanmcniff.com/booklet1.html Accessed: 31 /08/2006 MITRA, S., DANGWAL, R. ,CHATTERJEE, S., JHA, S., BISHT, R.S AND KAPUR, P. 2005. Acquisition of computing literacy on shared public Computers: Children and the “hole in the wall”. Australasian Journal of Educational Technology,21 (3): 407-426. MOERLOOSE , C., ANTICO, M., LINDGREEN, A., AND PALMER, R., 2005. Information Kiosk; the case of Belgian retail sector. International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management; 33,6/7;ABI/INFORM Global: 472. MORRIS, G.,SANDERS, T., GILMAN, A., ADELSON,S.J. AND SMITH ,S. 1995. Kiosks: Technological Overview. Los Alamos CIC-3: LA-UR-95-1672. MOUTON, J. 2005. How to succeed in your masters and doctoral studies: a South African guide and resource book. Pretoria: Van Schaik Publishers. NARENDER, K. AND NIRMALA, M.S. 2003. Information Communication Technology for women: The experience of women –managed Internet Kiosk at
83
A.Coleman:206075210
Melur, Tamilnadu, India. Presented at the Forum on Women and Information and Communication Technology in India and China, held at Adelaide, South Australia Organized by the Hawke Institute during Nov.5-7, 2003. NEILL, J. 2006. Analysis of Professional Literature class 6: Qualitative Research 1- Lecture Notes. [Online] Available from: www.wilderdom.com Accessed: 12/12/2006. NICHOLAS, D., HUNTINGTON, P. AND WILLIAMS, P. 2001. Establishing metrics for the evaluation of touch screen kiosks. Journal of Information Science, Vol.27 No.26:1-71. NIELSON, J. 1993. Usability Engineering. Cambridge MA :Academic Press. NORMAN, D.A. 1988 . The psychology of everyday things. NY: Basic Books. OLIVER, M.S. 2004. Information Technology Research: A practical guide for Computer Science and Informatics. Pretoria: Van Schaik Publishers. RAAB, C., BELLAMY, C., TAYLOR, J., DUTTON, W.H. AND PELTU, M. 1996. The information Policy: Electronic Democracy. Privacy and Surveillance in Information and Communication Technologies: Vision and Realities, edited by Dutton, W.H.: 283-99. Oxford : Oxford University Press. RAYMOND , L., GIOVANNI, F., CHRISTINE, P. AND VICTOR, Z. 1997. WEBGALAXY: beyond point and click- a conversational interface to a browser. Computer Network and ISDN system, 29: 1385-1393. ROWLEY, J. AND SLACK, F. 2003. Designing public Access Systems. Gower: Aldershot.
84
A.Coleman:206075210
ROWLY , J. 2000 . Loyalty Kiosks: Making loyalty cards work. British Food Journal Vol.102 No. 5/6: 390-7. SANJAY, A.K. AND GUPTA, V., 2004.Gyandoot: Trying to improve Government Services for Rural Citizens in India: e-Government for Development eTransparency case study No 11. [Online]. Available from: http://www.egov4dev.org/gyandoot.htm Accessed: 16/10/2006. SANTOSA, P.I. 2003. Observing a User’s mental model of an information website. Ninth American Conference on Information Systems:2223-2230. SAITIS. 2000. A survey of the IT industry and Related Jobs and Skills in South Africa. SAITIS BASELINE STUDIES; Pretoria. [Online] Available from: www.saitis.co.za Accessed:11/11/2006. SCHRODR, H.M., DRIVER, M.J. AND STREUFERT, S. 1967.Human Information processing. New York: Holt, Reinhart and Winston. SCOTTISH EXECUTIVES. 2001. Digital Inclusion: Connecting Scotland’s people. [Online]. Available from: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/library3/enterprise/dics-00ASP Accessed 17/10/2006. SLACK, F. AND ROWLEY, J. 2002. Kiosk 21: A new role for information Kiosk? International Journal of information management. Vol. 22 No 1: 67-83. SOUTH AFRICAN GOVERNMENT SERVICES. 2006. Public Information Terminal. [Online] Avialable: www.services.gov.za/publicinformationterminal.aspx Accessed: 19/01/2007. STRINGER, M. 1996. Action research: A handbook for practitioners. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. TUNG, L.L AND TAN, J.H. 1998. A model for the classification of information Kiosk in Singapore. Journal of Information Management, Vol. 18, No4: 255-64.
85
A.Coleman:206075210
WELMAN, J.C. AND KRUGER, S.J. 2005. Research Methodology for the Business and Administrative Science.2nd Edition. Oxford: Oxford University Press. WHYTE, A. AND MACINTOSH, A. 2003. Demonstration, Analysis and Assessment Report. AVANTI External Report: 17. WILHEM, A. 2000. Democracy in the digital age: Challenges to political life in cyberspace. New York and London: Routledge. WORLD BANK AND DEVELOPMENT REPORT. 2000/2001. Attacking Poverty. New York: Oxford Pre University Press. [Online] Available: www.worldbank.org/poverty/wdrpoverty. Accessed: 18/08/2006. WORLD BANK REPORT. 1996. Increasing Internet Connectivity in Sub- Saharan Africa. New York: Oxford University Press. WORLD BANK. 2002. A Definition of “e-Government” in e-Government website. Washington D.C. [Online] Available: www1.worldbank.org/publicsector/egov/definition.htm. Accessed: 10/11/2006. YIN, R.K. 2002. Case Study Research: Design and Methods. Third Edition. Applied Social Research Methods Series.Vol 5. California: Sage Publication.
86
A.Coleman:206075210
APPENDICES
APPENDIX A: PIT RESEARCH QUESTIONNAIRE
APPENDIX B: INTERVIEW SCHEDULE
87
A.Coleman:206075210
APPENDIX A: PIT RESEARCH QUESTIONNAIRE About this questionnaire
All information will be treated in confidence. The completion of this questionnaire is voluntary and your participation will be highly appreciated. This questionnaire has three parts. Part A is your personal information. Part B is socio economic factors and other factors that may hamper your use of the PIT and Part C is the value of PIT to your community.
PART A
1. Please indicate your personal details below. Name Age Occupation Town
2. How often do you visit your local post office? Please tick (use an X) Once a week
Twice a week
Thrice a week or more
3. How often do you use the PIT in your local Post office? Once a week
Twice a week
Thrice a week or more
None
4. Do you have a personal computer at home? Yes
No
5. If yes, do you have Internet connection?
No
88
Yes
A.Coleman:206075210
PART B Which of these factors do you think prevent you from using the PIT services at your local post office? Please tick any of the following points that apply to you with an X
Indicate with X 1
Lack of awareness of PIT services at the post office
2
Too expensive to purchase Activation Voucher
3
Lack of ICT skills
4
Lack of numeric skills
5
My culture prevents me from using ICT
6
Lack of confidence
7
Lack of bank account
8
Fear of technology
9
Too late in life to learn about new technology
10
No interest in the Internet
11
My physical disability prevents me from using the PIT
PART C 1. What are some of the benefits of PIT to your Community? Please list them below.
A B C D
89
A.Coleman:206075210
E
2. Which other services will you like the PIT to provide to your community? Please list them.
A B C D E
3. Please add any comment or question about PIT here.
4. Thank you for your responses and your participation.
90
A.Coleman:206075210
APPENDIX B: INTERVIEW SCHEDULE
Please feel free to respond to this question. Note that your responses will be treated in confidence and no part will be used against you.
What are some of the benefits of PIT to your community?
For postmasters.
Furthermore, the postmaster of each post office was interviewed on the following questions: 1. How many people on the average use this PIT per day? 2. What is the average age group of the users if there are any? 3. What problems do the users encounter when using the PIT? 4. How many of these users on the average usually request for help per day on the PIT?
Thank you for your participation.
91
A.Coleman:206075210
92
