Radio Schools in Nonformal Education: An Evaluation Perspective

Authors

• Emile McAnany, Santa Clara UniversityFollow

Document Type

Book Chapter

Publication Date

1975

Publisher

UCLA Latin American Center

Abstract

Recent interest in nonformal education has generated research in the form of surveys of existing nonformal efforts. Although there have been strong recommendations to use more mass media in out- of-school projects, few projects using media exist. Latin America, however, through its radio schools has had a long-standing nonformal system that should be carefully assessed before launching expensive media projects.

The evaluation literature suggests a useful paradigm for an assessment of the radio schools under the categories of effort, per- formance, adequacy, efficiency, and process. How have radio schools performed on each of these criteria? In effort, or the amount of work done, the evidence is impressive: radio schools exist in practically all Latin-American countries and reach an estimated 250,000 people in organized listening groups, plus a much greater but unorganized audience among rural people. The performance criterion asks what effect radio schools have had on their audi- ences, and here the evidence is much less clear cut, although an increasing number of evaluations have attempted to measure their impact. The adequacy question is whether radio schools have had an impact relative to the nonformal education needs of the rural audience; there is little data but, looking at needs, radio schools are a long way from meeting them. Efficiency asks a comparative ques- tion: Are radio schools the best (most cost-effective) way of meet- ing rural education needs? Again, no cost and little effectiveness data leave this question open. Finally, process calls for an under- standing of why radio schools succeed or fail and we are getting more answers to this question with more studies and self- evaluations.

Chapter of

Educational Alternatives in Latin America: Social Change and Social Stratification

Editor

T. LaBelle

Comments

Copyright © 1975 UCLA Latin American Center. Reprinted with permission.

Recommended Citation

McAnany, E. (1975). Radio Schools in Nonformal Education: An Evaluation Perspective. In T. LaBelle (ed.) Educational Alternatives in Latin America: Social Change and Social Stratification. Los Angeles: UCLA Latin American Center, p. 238-254.