“Fieldworkers experience the context behind the data. Quality data starts with the people who understand why accuracy matters.”
There is a story behind the data we see and use. Most importantly, there are people on the ground who ensure that this data is collected.
Long before the data reaches funders, policy makers, decision-makers and practitioners – a group of trained individuals observe, listen and gather information directly from the people. At the heart of our fieldworkers’ work is a strong community of practice.
Our Fieldwork Support Manager, Nonkululeko Seloba says the common thread that weaves quality data, fieldworkers and community is connection and communication.
“Fieldworkers are the heart of data, they are the centre of how data moves from the ground to the people.”
To understand the work of fieldwork is to understand their connection to the DataDrive2030 data value chain and workflow:
- Data Collection: Field workers collect data through observations and assessments, which is then uploaded to the server.
- Processing & Analysis: Our data team cleans the data, and the MEL team analyses it to finalise the findings and prepare the report.
- Interpretation and use: The report is delivered to the client, where the insights are interpreted to translate change into actionable outcomes.
Without a strong foundation during the data collection phases, the entire data workflow and ecosystem are at risk. Nonkululeko notes that successful fieldwork is a continuous cycle of planning, preparation, testing, implementation, listening, problem-solving and improvement.
Fieldworkers identify practical challenges with ECD centres and technologies, often needing to navigate participant related challenges or circumstances. Their observations and feedback help the data team understand the story behind the numbers. They identify where our tools, systems or processes need to be improved. Throughout the course of this journey, a good fieldwork manager asks, “What happened, why did it happen, and how can we improve the process?”, notes Nonkululeko.
This ongoing feedback loop helps us improve both the fieldwork process and the quality of the data it produces.
IMBE: THE VALUE OF FIELDWORKERS AND FEEDBACK
A key highlight of Nonkululeko’s career at DataDrive2030 was her contribution to the IMBE project – a pilot collaboration between IMBE and DataDrive2030 that explored whether structured assessment and personalised feedback could help ELPs improve their programme quality.
Through this work, she helped ensure that field teams were supported and that the data collected could ultimately be used in a meaningful way.
“The most meaningful part was that fieldwork was not simply about collecting data. The data was turned into reports, the reports informed conversations, and the feedback from principals and practitioners helped support improvements in their Early Learning Programmes (ELPs)”
Across the 147 participating early learning programmes, 78% improved their overall LPQA score, with average programme quality increasing by 9% across all five areas of assessment.
The IMBE project brought together assessors, principals and practitioners. Pilot collaborations like this demonstrate the importance of fieldwork and the feedback fieldworkers provide. Through their observations and experience of assessments, fieldworkers provided ELPs with valuable context of what was happening on the ground.
This is the value of connecting fieldwork, data, feedback and action.
