Teachers' Utilization of Educational Radio Programs in Public Primary Schools

Abstract

The research project was conducted to examine the teachers' utilization of educational radio programs in public primary schools. A qualitative research approach with an intrinsic case study design was employed. Nine study participants, including two principals, six teachers, and one Educational Media Agency head, were selected as sources of data based on their rich experiences in the utilization of educational radio. The data was collected through interviews, observation, and document analysis. The study revealed that primary school teachers and principals had high awareness about the importance of educational radio programs, but they couldn't properly utilize them for classroom teaching and learning purposes. The instructions given by the radio teachers to students and classroom teachers were clear. However, the classroom teachers faced difficulty in implementing the radio instructions because of the unavailability of enough radio sets, shortage or absence of the teacher's guide, mismatch between the radio airtime and the timetable in the school, lack of collaboration, weak monitoring and follow-up, and electric power interruption. To alleviate the problem, concerned stakeholders, including the Educational Media Agency, Zonal Education Office, Woreda Educational Office, and the primary schools, should give due attention and support to facilitate proper implementation of the educational radio program.