Training for Rapid and Participatory Appraisal in Austria

This paper discusses a 6-day training of 'northern' development practitioners in a 'northern' setting: the Austrian Alps. The training was not designed to constitute 'full qualification' but to introduce trainees to the possibilities and limits of R/PRA. The basic training is regarded as having been successful for a number of reasons, and also provided some training insights: (i) 'training by doing' is a good form of learning transfer; (ii) 'training by doing' in Europe allows for transfer of critical ideas from the First to the Third World and vice versa; (iii) Experiencing R/PRA in one's own language intensifies learning insights; (iv) Direct experience of visualisation and intensive interaction are decisive for convincing a participant about R/PRA; (v) Sequencing of techniques is indispensable for real life application and has to be given special attention in field training; (vi) Attention should be paid to group processes among the trainees; (vii) Such training requires a community with an explicit interest in cooperating with the training group; (viii) There are ethical issues concerning the transformation of training into action research; (ix) PRA training as action has some minimal requirements; (x) It also has some dangers; (xi) Training should enable transfer of learning to trainees' working environments; (xii) The theoretical basis of R/PRA is insufficiently developed to clarify it to trainees.