Feminist Methodology: Benefits Beyond Gender
Despite one’s best efforts at objectivity, there can be no firm “separation of knower and known” and a researcher's own experience necessarily influences the project. While a researcher's individual experience can introduce bias, it can also prove a great asset.
Researchers operating in different frames tend to “ask very different questions… and consider very different interventions” (Kiguwa, 2019). Recognizing this fact is crucial to understanding the power dynamics that shape our relationships with participants, as well as the potential effects and unintended consequences of our research findings (DeVault, 1996; Kiguwa, 2019).
What is Feminist Methodology?
Despite the title of this piece, there is no singular unified “Feminist Methodology". Instead, feminist methodology can be thought of as a cluster of different methodologies "rooted in feminist activism and in feminists' critiques of the standard procedures of social science” that share a commitment “to include women's lives and concerns in accounts of society, to minimize the harms of research, and to support changes that will improve women's status” (DeVault, 1996). Feminist methodology should be imagined as a framework one can adopt to conduct research that encompasses many diverse individual approaches unified by an emphasis on positionality and intentionality.
Feminist approaches to research consider both the subject’s and researcher’s positionality within structural power hierarchies. While at first glance these theoretical claims may seem overly abstracted and conceptual, they are not. It is important to remember that research happens in the real world. Despite our best attempts to reach objectivity, researchers will always be enmeshed within local social contexts and subject to the same organizing principles of power hierarchies. On this same note, another key component of feminist approaches is intentional grounding of research in the real-world (Kiguwa, 2019).
Benefits of Feminist Methodology
Beyond an emphasis on practical application, the key benefit of feminist research is its ability to create space for subjectivity as a valuable source of knowledge. Traditional approaches which exclude marginalized voices and forms of knowledge from mainstream research are not only ethically problematic but also lead to incomplete research and blind spots which limit the utility of any findings (Beetham & Demetriades, 2007). These blind spots extend beyond gender analysis to also include any groups made invisible by racial, class, national or colonial power-dynamics. Neither positionality nor intentionality as methodological approaches are limited to gender.
Applications Beyond Gender
At its core, feminist methodology is about conducting research with a full view of the social context within which that research occurs. This is a valuable lens which can be meaningfully applied to enhance all kinds of research, particularly any that involves marginalized groups. For instance, in donor-sponsored research practice the dynamic between the researcher, subjects and donors is a particularly poignant nexus for structural power to come to bear. Donors wield significant monetary power, which often comes from broader social and economic inequalities. This frequantly leads to earmarked funding that limits the independence and subjectivity of the research. Once monetary considerations are introduced, the aims of a project shift from seeking to deliver the highest impact or greatest insight to aiming for the highest value (Lokot, 2019). This shift creates several adverse effects on the research process:
Firstly, the pressure to create deliverables transforms research to become increasingly extractive as the project begins to require “the right kinds” of data to supply donors (Lokot, 2019). Secondly, the same pressure to generate results often leads to focusing too much on simple, easy-to-measure indicators, perpetuating the invisibilization of marginalized forms of knowledge (Lokot, 2019). Thirdly, in pursuit of greatest efficiency, project designs are at risk of becoming overly standardized and prescriptive as they seek to reuse as many resources as possible to (Lokot, 2019). Finally, monetary concerns often exacerbate both physical and figurative distance between researcher and subjects. Due to logistical and cost concerns, oftentimes even when researchers are “in-the-field” they do not actually have direct contact with affected groups, reinforcing extractive power structures (Lokot, 2019).
While feminist methodologies cannot solely resolve any of these issues, emphasis of positionality and intentionality can provide a framework for addressing concerns. Feminist emphasis on positionality of researchers' own incentive structures and power within research relationships invites increased openness within the project. This can manifest as allowing space for the actual concerns of the interest group to emerge, for example by actively bringing research subjects into the knowledge generation process. Increased proximity with participants through active engagement can also serve to minimize the extractive nature of research relations by shifting to a partnership and relationship building model which provides agency and skill acquisition for research participants (particularly when compelled with more common forms of material compensation).
2030 Pledge for Change
Ultimately, feminist methodology offers a guiding ethos focused on centering marginalized voices, interrogating power dynamics, and addressing inequity. Through its focus on positionality and intentionality, feminist methodology challenges extractive practices and creates opportunities for more inclusive, nuanced, and impactful research. Particularly in donor-funded fields like humanitarian and development work, it offers a vital corrective to dominant approaches, opening space for more equitable and locally grounded methods of knowledge generation.
At INTEGRATED, we are strongly committed to the values of feminist research and to addressing the unequal power dynamics in the development and aid sectors. As evidence of our dedication, we are proud to announce our recently formalized support for the 2030 Pledge for Change, reinforcing our commitment to more equitable, locally led, and feminist humanitarian and development practices.
References:
- Beetham, G. and Demetriades, J., 2007. Feminist research methodologies and development: Overview and practical application. Gender and Development, 15(2), pp.199–216. Available at: http://www.jstor.org/stable/20461201.
- DeVault, M.L., 1996. Talking back to sociology: Distinctive contributions of feminist methodology. Annual Review of Sociology, 22, pp.29–50. Available at: http://www.jstor.org/stable/2083423.
- Kiguwa, P., 2019. Feminist approaches: An exploration of women’s gendered experiences. In: S. Laher et al., eds. Transforming research methods in the social sciences: Case studies from South Africa. Johannesburg: Wits University Press, pp.220–235. Available at: http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.18772/22019032750.19.
- Lokot, M., 2019. The space between us: Feminist values and humanitarian power dynamics in research with refugees. Gender & Development, 27(3), pp.467–484. doi:10.1080/13552074.2019.1664046.
The Transformative Power of Ed-Tech in the MENA Region
15 million children in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region do not attend school.
This wasn’t always the case—approximately two decades ago, the region had almost reached universal education and literacy, but armed conflicts over the last 15 years have disrupted this accomplishment across multiple countries, including Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Palestine, Libya, and Sudan.
Refugee flows in MENA have strained national education systems by adversely affecting education quality and existing infrastructure. The COVID-19 pandemic compounded this, with the region experiencing amongst the highest school closures recorded globally. The outcome is concerning: foundational skills are not being adequately learned.
The Power of Technology
To tackle these challenges, innovative solutions like education technology and digital game-based learning have emerged. These tools alleviate the need for physical learning environments while providing opportunities for iterative and differentiated learning, essential in disrupted education settings.
The global evidence is clear: a recent meta-analysis of 77 randomized experiments evaluating the effects of school-based interventions on learning in primary schools across developing countries found that those involving computers or instructional technology had the largest mean effect sizes.
Putting Ed-Tech to the Test
At INTEGRATED, we’ve seen firsthand how ed-tech is transforming learning in the MENA region, especially for early learners in refugee and public-school settings. Through our research—such as randomized control trials and experimental studies—we found that ed-tech can generate improved literacy results significantly beyond “business as usual.”
Digital game-based learning, when used regularly, has the potential to boost basic literacy skills and provide access to digital libraries—allowing early learners to read up to 150 books per school year. This is a huge jump from the regional average of one book per year. These results are particularly clear in low-income and under-resourced settings, where access to leveled and engaging reading materials has sparked exponential growth in reading skills.
Untapped Potential
Where ed-tech solutions have been proven to generate statistically significant learning outcomes in Arabic, their scalability has significant potential. Modern Standard Arabic, the fifth most spoken language in the world, is standardized and taught similarly across 21 Arabic speaking-countries. Additionally, the high rates of smart phone penetration and extensive GSM mobile network coverage in the MENA region offer significant potential for widespread access to digital technologies. In MENA, parents place a high value on education. When families can access interactive, appropriately leveled learning content with regular use, it has been proven to augment literacy.
So, why aren’t these solutions more widespread?
The Challenges at Hand
Despite high smart phone penetration, data credit is expensive, and accessing educational resources is not always the top priority for each family. While each family may have a smartphone, it is often shared among multiple people, causing children to have intermittent use at most. Additionally, awareness of proven ed-tech solutions is exceptionally low, with endorsement from trusted educational bodies necessary for wider acceptance.
Second, while Ministries of Education in MENA have experimented with education technology —and even endorsed successful programs —there are limited means to scale these solutions. A lack of hardware and consistent internet bandwidth in classrooms limit the degree to which ed-tech can be integrated into curriculums, while teachers lack the necessary training to manage onboarding, navigation, and integration. Moreover, ed-tech's student-centered, self-paced model is a departure from teacher-centered education delivery—a significant cultural shift within MENA educational systems.
However, with future shocks such as the COVID-19 pandemic or new conflicts looming in the region, many ministries have instituted blended learning strategies, relying on ed-tech to deliver a part of the curriculum. Some have even partnered with private sector ed-tech companies to support this approach. Ministries also recognize the potential of ed-tech to be more inclusive of students with disabilities and track student performance within dashboards that can be aggregated nationally.
While the aspiration to integrate ed-tech exists among both donors and Ministries of Education, there is still a need to tackle the key obstacles that prevent its scaling: hardware and internet connectivity in the classroom, continuity of learning from home, and upskilling of teachers to effectively integrate ed-tech into the curriculum. This requires ed-tech developers and ministries to work hand-in-hand- to develop curriculum-aligned and leveled content, while testing this content for efficacy in generating significant learning outcomes.
Despite obstacles, the MENA region holds significant untapped potential to solve its educational challenges through technology. With key strategic investments and partnerships across sectors, there is a clear path forward for the widespread adoption of ed-tech in classrooms throughout the region, transforming learning for millions of children.
Read more about Integrated’s critical findings on ed-tech:
- Revolutionizing Arabic Literacy with Antura and the Letters – Integrated
- Testing Learning Outcomes with Feed the Monster, an Arabic Literacy Game – Integrated
- Exploring Digital Game-Based Learning to Enhance Education in MENA – Integrated
