Research design[edit | edit source]
This research is an exploratory study that seeks to understand how open knowledge and the use of wikis as collaborative platforms can generate a positive impact in the visibility of findings, best practices, and lessons learned by development-promoting organizations in El Salvador. To achieve this, an initial documentary review was conducted, which allowed for a better understanding of the relationship between open knowledge, wikis, and sustainable development. This review led to the identification of a wiki called Appropedia, which is presented in this research through a case study as a tool being used by development-promoting organizations, both nationally and internationally, to document the key learnings obtained in the management of social development projects. This collaborative platform was chosen for the research because it is the only wiki that exclusively documents content in the area of sustainability, and unlike other open knowledge platforms, it offers a dynamic knowledge management system that promotes an interactive space for organizations to continuously share learning experiences among themselves.
Sample[edit | edit source]
For the collection of primary data, four semi-structured interviews were initially conducted with two national organizations, the United Nations Development Programme in El Salvador through the Accelerator Lab and TECHO El Salvador, and two international organizations, the Appropedia Foundation and Catholic Relief Services. It should be noted as a limitation that it was not possible to interview more organizations in El Salvador, as it has been found that these two are the only ones that have used Appropedia as a tool for the visibility of findings, best practices, and lessons learned from development projects.
Internationally, the Appropedia Foundation was chosen as one of the organizations interviewed because it is the entity responsible for managing the wiki presented in this research as a case study. Therefore, it was relevant for the purposes of this article to obtain firsthand information that was not found on the wiki regarding the platform's operation. On the other hand, Catholic Relief Services is an organization that has recently shown interest in documenting on Appropedia, hence it was considered pertinent to conduct an interview to understand firsthand how the interest in editing on the wiki arose and the process being followed for documentation on the platform.
The guides used in the interviews were designed using a methodological matrix that allowed the identification of dimensions such as: the findings and lessons learned in the documentation process on the wiki, the reach of the best practices shared based on the documented information, the impact of learning management on local development and communities, the quality, rigor, and parameters established for documenting content, the suitability, effectiveness, and accessibility of the platform, the knowledge and familiarity needed to edit and share content, among others.
Finally, for processing the information gathered in the interviews, a relationship matrix between the dimensions of analysis was used, allowing for proper processing and subsequent analysis of the data.
