ELEMENTS OF A RADIO-BASED LITERACY PROGRAM: TOWARDS A COMMUNITY-RESPONSIVE PRE-SERVICE TEACHER EDUCATION

This is an exploratory study that looked into the radio-based literacy program of the College of Education of the University of the Philippines Diliman as a tool for enhancing and supporting literacy skills and practices of parents of grade two pupils from an urban poor community. It is based on Philippine setting and culture and focused on the design and the implementation of a radio-based literacy program. Descriptive research design was used in gathering and analyzing data that were collected through focus group discussions, individual interviews, and questionnaires. The study shows the program can produce significant educational results and can make a significant difference in family literacy skills and practices if its design, topic plotting, and content are carefully planned and utilized along the lines of literacy support for parents of young learners. Also, a radio-based literacy program is best used with other media of communication and with a strong support component in which learners and their parents engage in person to person mode of communication with literacy experts and teachers. The study implies that the radio program can be an effective instrument of social transformation. Also, a good and effective radiobased literacy program serves as an impetus for teacher education institutions to find innovative ways to help empower impoverished communities and families, as they work to support their children in carrying out academic tasks and roles.