PLA Notes CD-ROM 1988-2001 6 The use of the school essay as an RRA technique: a case study from Bong County, Liberia

Document begins: PLA Notes CD-ROM 1988­2001 6 The use of the school essay as an RRA technique: a case study from Bong County, Liberia Jennifer A Sutton and Blair D Orr Introduction The school essay method Researchers collect sociological data for rural Students are asked to write a brief essay on an development projects throughout the world, assigned topic pertinent to development within sometimes with inefficient or imprecise their communities. They are given several methods. Questionnaires and interviews are days to think about the topic and discuss it routinely used to ask people directly what they with family and friends. The students are think and know about the conditions and aware that the essay will be graded on clarity, events that affect them. Yet the results derived neatness, punctuation, and grammar, and not from these methods may be biased. Many have on content. We applied this technique in Bong recognised the difficulties of information County, Liberia by sponsoring an essay gathering (Olawoye, 1985; Opio-Odongo, contest for the eighth grade students of six 1985; Phillips, 1973; Gilmour, 1988; local schools. Our selected topic was `What I Chambers, 1980). Opio-Odongo is concerned Like and Dislike about Using a Latrine'. with the "relationship ...