Chambers, Robert

This report of a six day training course in Bihar, India, was dictated by one of the trainers as the course took place. The account reads like a personal journal, giving an impression of the process of training and how ideas evolve through practice. Details given include: group dynamics (how to cope with PRA "sceptics"), timing, organisation and methodological innovations made. Lessons learnt through mistakes are well-documented and problems highlighted, such as how to ensure minority groups participate fully.

Instructions are given on how to form groups under the following headings: random (groups), pre-allocated, mixed, homogenous, self-selected, formed through moving on. Plus and minus points for each method of group formation are noted, as well as any "tips" around logistics.

This concise list of practical hints for running a short workshop which does not include fieldwork is intended for numbers of up to 180 people. The 21 tips cover every aspect, general (eg choosing a room, seating arrangements) as well as ideas for sessions on specific PRA techniques (though a basic knowledge of PRA terminology/concepts is assumed). Chambers ends with an amusing list of his own common mistakes, emphasizing the need for trainers to be critically self-aware and "fail forwards".

This concise list of practical hints for running a short workshop which does not include fieldwork is intended for numbers of up to 180 people. This kind of workshop might be a short introduction to PRA for people based in developed countries. The 21 tips cover every aspect, general (eg choosing a room, seating arrangements) as well as ideas for sessions on specific PRA techniques (though a basic knowledge of PRA terminology/concepts is assumed).

It introduces the idea of rapid appraisal within the context of rural development. Its key themes are the cultural tensions that arise in rural development research efforts; the scope of RRA, its function and principles, and its challenge in developing a new professionalism, based on rigour and cost effectiveness. In emphasizing the need for eclecticism, inventiveness and versatility, and in questioning some conventional values in research, especially in statistics, it does not undervalue traditional standards and methods where they fit well.