Describing schools the way they are : reflecting on a baseline study in the Boland

This article critically engages with the conceptual framework of a baseline study and investigates some of the assumptions underlying its design. The discussion focuses on two central questions : Firstly, what is the value of descriptive data? Secondly, what significance should be given to the data in relation to the development process as a whole? In conclusion there are some thoughts about how to report on the research so that the process of talking and writing about the data is not a mere formality at the end, but becomes a tool for thinking about the project as it grows. (South African Journal of Education: 2002 22(1): 15-18)