Knowledge Collisions: Perspectives from CED Practitioners Working with Women. NALL Working Paper

A study explored the ways that front-line community development workers across Canada gained information needed to work with women participants in community economic development initiatives. Data were gathered through focus groups, a preliminary study with 15 key informants employed in community dev...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors Stratton, Mary, Jackson, Ted
Format Report
LanguageEnglish
Published For full text: http://www 01.03.2001
Subjects
Adults
Canada
Cognitive Style
Community Development
Constructivism (Learning)
Developed Nations
Economic Development
Employed Women
Employee Attitudes
Employer Attitudes
Epistemology
Experiential Learning
Females
Foreign Countries
Informal Education
Sex Bias
Socioeconomic Influences
Socioeconomic Status
Theory Practice Relationship
Womens Education
Canada
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Summary:A study explored the ways that front-line community development workers across Canada gained information needed to work with women participants in community economic development initiatives. Data were gathered through focus groups, a preliminary study with 15 key informants employed in community development organizations, and structured telephone interviews. One theme that emerged from the interview data was the existence of a large number of differing knowledge classes related to social situations, the legitimization of knowledge, and the practice of community development. Collisions among these different perspectives appear to create a "discord of knowing." The study also found that while gender affects an individual's experience and participation within a community setting, it cannot be considered in isolation from class, ethnicity, geography, disability, and other social factors. Drawing on anecdotal illustrations from the data, the study found that workers construct a knowledge set derived from a synthesis of formal and informal learning sources and apply the resulting perspective in development work. In the process, collisions occur and boundaries are challenged among and within academic, government, business, and practice orientations. The study concluded that agreement is emerging among practitioners about what is needed for successful development outcomes, but that their insights are not necessarily recognized as legitimate, especially by funding agencies. Changing such structural attitudes toward the value of informal local knowledge is vital for the success of development efforts. (Contains 31 references.) (KC)