Learning Democracy and Participation in Student Radio. Perspective from three European countries

Author(s):

Peter Dolnik(presenting / submitting)

Conference:

ECER 2011

Network:

21. Emerging Researchers' Group (for presentation at Emerging Researchers' Conference)

Format:

Paper

Session Information

ERG SES D 08, Parallel Session D 08

Paper Session

Time:

2011-09-12

15:10-16:40

Room:

JK 28/112,G, 58

Chair:

Bob Jeffrey

Contribution

This paper reports on research undertaken in three student community radios from Slovakia, Czech republic and Great Britain.It deals with learning dimension in student community radios in context of volunteer nonprofit leisure activities of university students.

Student radios are considered as an instrument for democracy and informal learning, because democracy is closely linked with education and media. Radios are participatory, community focused, the aim is to explore how production here generates informal learning.

Community radios brings inclusive learning environment for its participants. When young people invest their leisure time to the volunteer, civic activities without financial reward, they must have a deep sense of it, and it is important to research these activities.

Paper is build on empirical research which is supported with theories of community learning, workplace learning, communities of practice, service learning, citizenship education, I analyse the discourses and activities of student volunteers to reveal the ways in which their involvement leads to greater community engagement and understanding of social, civic and political processes.

Student radio is organization, small democracy, and

Main research question is: What are young people learning in student community radios?

Method

Using qualitative research, focus groups design, methods are participant observations and semi-structured interviews. Research reveals participatory priniciples on which are community and student radios built. I try to draft a framework what have all researched radios in common, and draw attention on their different features, which are given by cultural differences of the particular countries. After a series of participant observations will be selected a few individuals from which will be held semi-structured interviews (newcomers, middle term members and old members).

Expected Outcomes

I offer empirical data about participatory character of student radio, learning cycle for beginners in student radio resulting in democracy learning and media literacy. Important part of democratic processes here is sense of belonging and identity. First is started with premise that student radio is participatory media. And learning for particular postion generates another kinds of informal learning From first part of participant observations a few central cathegories emerged: 1, Membership in the organization (membership is not granted, participants have to prove special motivation, skills) 2, Induction course, learning and transfer of knowledge between members (how do newcomers learn new knowledge, how older members learn them) 3, Organizational socialization of members (development of the individual in group) 4, Social groups (how students from different universities - technical, and art get on with each other) 5, Authorities and hierarchy structure (How does the authorities and hierarchy is created) 6, Relationships, rituals and creating social links. (How does the social events strenghtens the relationships between members) The outcome should be a theory of how (young) people are learning in informal context, on workplace, from the sense, that chosen activity brings to them.

References

Buckley, S. (2000). ´Radio's new horizons : Democracy and popular communication in the digital´ International Journal of Cultural Studies 2000 3: 180 Cammaerts, B. (2009). 'Community Radio in the West : A Legacy of Struggle for Survival in a State and Capitalist Controlled Media Environment'. International Communication Gazette, 71 (8), 635-655. Fraser,C., Estrada S.R. (2001). Community radio handbook: UNESCO. Siemering, W. (2000). 'Radio, Democracy and Development: Evolving Models of Community Radio', Journal of Radio & Audio Media, 7: 2, 373 — 378 Schilling, M. A., Vidal, P., Ployhart, R.E., Marangoni, A. (2003). 'Learning by Doing Something Else: Variation, Relatedness, and the Learning Curve'. Management Science, 49 (1), 39-56. Schugurensky, D. (2006). ‘This is our school of citizenship. Informal learning in local democracy.’ In Z. Bekerman, N. Burbules and D. Silberman (eds.), Learning in Hidden Places: The Informal Education Reader. Peter Lang: New York Soep, E., Chávez, V.(2005). 'Youth Radio and the Pedagogy of Collegiality'. Harvard Educational Review, 75 (4), 27 Wenger, E. Snyder W. (2000). Learning in communities. [Online]. Available at: http://www.linezine.com/1/features/ewwslc.htm. [Last accessed 24.2.2011].

Author Information

Peter Dolnik (presenting / submitting)

Masaryk University, Faculty of arts

Department of educational sciences

Bratislava

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