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New Generations, Old Challenges: Questioning Grassroots Development in the Horn of Africa
JOURNAL OF YOUTH RESEARCHES
(2004:177) states that FGDs provide a way of collecting data relatively quickly from sev-
eral research participants; and free flow of discussion and debate among group members
offer the researcher an excellent opportunity for ‘hearing the language and vernacular
used by respondents (2004:181). Personal observation is an ideal data collection means
specially to describe situations in their natural setting. Creswell (2009:181) states that
qualitative personal observations are those in which the researcher takes field notes on
research sites. Babbie & Mouton (2001:271) also adds, qualitative researchers should
make deliberate attempts to ’put themselves in the shoes of the people they are observ-
ing and studying, and try to understand their actions, decisions, behaviors, practices and
rituals from their perspective’.
Thus, throughout the period of data collection, the researcher had been deliberately wan-
dering across villages, and by foot. While absence of transportation service can be a
reason; however, most importantly, the visits have been part of the researcher’s curiosity
to observe the lives of the people. Accordingly, in addition to visits during interviews,
various activities and facilities were physically noticed. Among others, village homes,
primary schools, health posts and local administrative centers were intensively observed.
Various documents were also reviewed in search of helpful demographic data, including
population breakdown, schooling, administrative structure and prevalent crops. Thus, it
has been the researcher’s curiosity to achieve some credibility by mixing multiple data
collection techniques, triangulation. Triangulation is the best way to elicit various and di-
vergent constructions of reality that exist within the context of a study (Babbie & Mouton,
2001: 277).
What is Development, and Whom is It For
The positivist conception of development has been criticized for not considering range of
concrete changes in the lives of the people. It mainly addressed the qualitative charac-
teristics of development as focused mainly on the GDP. Latter conceptualizations emerge
giving much emphasis to the human and/or social aspect of development. The following
paragraphs attempt to discuss various views and elements of development.
’Development’, as a concept, has always been variously perceived, valued and described
by individuals from different areas of expertise, experience, intellect and levels of ‘devel-
opment’ itself. For Moemeka (1994:11) development is not only what many view it as a
change in the economic, technological or a mere material aspect. Most importantly, it is
also a change in people’s mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual welfare. A compre-
hensive view of development that Moemeka familiarizes is a change for the better in the
human, cultural, socio-economic, and political conditions of the individual and so of the
society.
It is not solely a matter of technology or of gross national product; more important-
ly, it is a matter of increased knowledge and skills, growth of new consciousness,
expansion of the human mind, the uplifting of the human spirit, and the fusion of
human confidence (Moemeka 1994:11).
