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Any exercise in data collection from the field is based on a methods and involves basic issues in cost, time, scale, utility, depth and trustworthiness of the data collected which vary with the method/methods used. The book compares conventional methods of investigation such as questionnaire survey with participatory methods like Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) as evolving from the field. Of late, there has been a series of experience from field situations on alternative systems of inquiry, especially on PRA. They relate to a host of developing countries such as India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sierra Leone, Pakistan and others. The book analyses the recent empirical evidence, examines issues, looks at opportunities and suggests potential for methodological innovations in field investigation and data collection.
The book is divided into five chapters. In Chapter 1, two systems of inquiry, the conventional questionnaire survey and the PRA-type inquiry, have been defined, illustrated and compared in terms of their paradigmatic bases, principles, objectives and ways of evaluating data. In Chapter 2, there are 11 case studies from the developing world showing how greater flexibility can be induced in field situation by adopting PRA method for data collection and analysis of local people`s criteria. Chapter 3 deals with the issue of PRA method as a complement to questionnaire survey, while in Chapter 4, PRA method is posed as an alternative to questionnaire survey. With a spectrum of experience from the field, different aspects of PRA-type inquiry have been examined in order to draw interim conclusions on comparative issues like cost, time training, scale of inquiry, process, flexibility, depth, utility, trustworthiness, empowerment and learning. Chapter 5 presents the summary and conclusions of the study and also draws up a checklist for conducting a participatory nature of field inquiry.ISBN:8170225604
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Pages : 163
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