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Africa Media Review Vol. 3 No. 1. 1988® African Council on Communication Education

The Role of Research in DevelopmentCommunication at the

Liberian Rural Communications Network

DJE.S. Kandakai, Ed. D.Research & Evaluation Cooordinator

Liberian Rural Communications Network

Presented atA Research Symposium sponsored by LRCN

held atDucor Inter-Continental Hotel

August 5 - 7, 1987.

ABSTRACT

This paper sets out to "spell out and critically analyze therole of research In development communication".

After a brief discussion of the concept of developmentcommunication, the paper stresses the role of research indetermining what Is desirable change in a people's perceptionof development.

The paper zeroes in on the place of research Indevelopment communication In relation to the Liberian RuralCommunication Network. The observations arising out ofthis case study are used to make some generalrecommendations for research In developmentcommunication.

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Le Role de la Recherche dans le Developpement de lacommunication au niveau de Reseau des communications

Rurales au Liberia

RESUME

Cet article se donne comme objectif de "definir etd'analyser d'une facon critique le role de la recherche dans lacommunication de developpement.

Apres un bref apercu du concept de communication dedeveloppement, cet article met l'accent sur le role de larecherche dans la determination de ce qui est un changementdesirable dans la perception du developpement par les gens.

L'article definit la place de la recherche dans lacommunication de developpement par rapport au Reseau decommunication Rurale du Liberia ria. Les observations decette etude sont utillsees pour faire quelquesrecommendations generates pour la recherche aucommunication de developpement.

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Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to spell out and criticallyanalyze the role of research in development communication.It is not as apparent as it might be what this role is to anumber of significant actors In the arena of a developmentcommunication organization. Within such an organizationthe role of research and evaluation, while important tocommunity relations, training and programming. In short anIntegral part of the entire operations, is not as wellunderstood as it could be.

Even if It were that well understood within, it might benecessary to pinpoint what the role of research Is for thoseoutside of such an organization. Documentation of thesupposedly critical role of research In developmentcommunication as opposed to the role of research incommunication in general is then, highly necessary fordevelopment communicators purporting to represent theviews of their target audiences, those for whom moredevelopment is sorely needed, more so than othercommunicators who cater to developed societies or the moredeveloped sectors of society. The target group should serve asco-producers, enhancing a two-way process in this endeavour.

Another role of research in development communication(an agency such as the Liberian Rural CommunicationsNetwork, LRCN being an example) is to attempt to throw lighton how communication media can cater to developmentneeds. This in our opinion is one of the least discussed orknown areas of development communication. This situationis unchartered and unexplored and the establishment ofprojects using radio and other media for developmentcommunication are themselves colossal or giant experimentsestablished as acts of faith or for reasons of fashionableinterests. 1

Documentation of the role of research in an establishmentsuch as LRCN is critical to understanding of Liberia'spotential for development because some of the very factorsthat LRCN's research and thereby production will seek tounderstand will no doubt be of multiplier interests to otheragencies for development and vice versa.

This tendency may not only be true of LRCN but was true ofthe stock-takers of communication research capabilities in

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the African region who felt than in Africa problems andpriorities for research should be different for other regionsand considered four assumptions as guidelines:2

1) The fact that the overwhelming majority ofAfricans live in the rural setting:

2) The need to examine the role and effect ofcommunication within the context of developmentobjectives and activities;

3) The need to focus on different communicationmodalities and styles, values underlying differentcommunication systems; and

4) The need to achieve regional self-reliance and thedevelopment of communication research.

The role of research in development communicationclearly needs to be better understood. It is the hope of thewriter of this paper that some contribution will be made inthis direction and that even if new questions are raised, thesewill point to the very crucial requirements for research indevelopment communication.

What is Development Communication?

There are varying views of development communication.Prior to establishing a working definition of developmentcommunication for purposes of this paper it would beinstructive to examine a number of definitive views ofdevelopment communica t ion . Syed Rahim in"Communication Approaches in Rural Development",3presents a number of views of development communicationas:

1) The extension and community developmentapproach which is the use of the extension servicefor the dissemination of useful and practicalinformation;

2) The community development approach is one inwhich according to Rahim, there is a decentralisedinterpersonal communication system at thecommunity development block level;

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3) the ideological and mass mobilization approachwhere message content is predominantlyideological, and

4) the mass media and education approach in whichthe media play the dominant role in deliveringinformational messages to the rural population.

Development communication is the study of how to applyvarious kinds of communication technology and techniquesto the solution of different social problems by developingcountries.4 This view of development goes on to note thatdevelopment communication has attempted to explore theapplication of communication principles and techniques inareas of such practical outcomes such as education, health,nutrition, family planning and agriculture.

The above view evolved from the works of Schram, Lernerand Pye 5 which is exemplified by Lerner's communicationmodel where urbanization leads to literacy and thereby toeconomic and political participation. The functions of themass media in developing countries according to thesescholars were: that the mass media can create a climate forchange by changing values, attitudes, and modes of behaviourfavourable to modernization or the mass media can teach newskills from literacy to hygiene to repairing a motor car amongothers.6

Increasingly over the years, there has come to beestablished the hope and perhaps prayer or at least messianictendentiousness towards the media fostering development forthose In the rural areas of developing countries lacking therequisite development Indicators and achievements. Lookingat this through the eyes of the editor of the book,"Communication and Change: The Last Ten Years and theNext", the Development Communication Report of July, 1977,says:

Mutual framework of authors as seen by editor is asingle generalization that flows from field testing of •development communication theory over the past fiveyears; it is that information communication to therural poor can make a difference in improving thequality of their lives, but how much of a difference willdepend on a combination of both technical landpolitical factors that are vital to any significantchange.

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The working definition of this paper is that developmentcommunication is the utilization of mass communication forbringing about desirable changes in the lot of the broadmasses of the population of those countries referred to orlabelled 'developing1.

Basic to this definition of development communication isthe use of the word 'desirable'. It is useful to note that it is theresearch undertaking in development which will determinewhich changes are desirable. Without the use of research itwill be difficult to Ascertain what the desirable changes mightbe.

Why Research in Development Communication?

This question is the main one the paper will seek torespond to. Research in development communication impliesa difference - that there is a distinct branch or kind ofcommunication known as development communication.Some response to the question can be found in the work of Rawho says:8 "Most people seek information for specificpurposes, e.g. they are receivers of some kinds of informationand are not receivers for other kinds of information. Theresearch task is to determine what kinds of people are mostlikely to receive what kinds of information related to whatkinds of development goals".

Another response is given by Nkinyangi,9 who quotingMattlelart, says three factors account for the rising interest incommunication studies:

1) penetration of the mass media into the audiencesof developing countries and the correspondingpotential of this development for reaching theirdevelopment goals;

2) the emphasis on social reform policies called forwidespread diffusion of new knowledge andtechniques; and

3) political concerns as evidenced by Americanconcern over structural changes in developingregions which would supposedly thwart thepossibility of revolutionary take-over as in thecase of Cuba.

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According to Hein.10 "The early studies were focussed onthe content of the mass media. Communication was seen as ameans of transferring development software, science,technology, new methods of production, educationResearch was necessary to find out ways of presenting thissoftware in order for it to be understood and accepted. Thisemphasis is clear since values and concepts were seen as theprime movers in social change Later, the focus ofcommunication research moved to other areas (i.e., thelanguage of the messages, the translation of ideas, purposesand Intention into a systematic set of symbols)". Many of thediffusion studies as applied to communication came in theformer vein of earlier studies.

Ugboajah.ll speaking to the cultural and traditionalbases of communication in Nigeria, mentions three types ofpotential audiences which roughly correspond to the city,periphery and village distinctions, as follows:

1) The active participatory audience-urban sector ofelite/ruling class;

2) Pseudo-Participatory (Transients) - haveabandoned rural life for urban periphery. Thisgroup has started to develop its own culture - thatof the slum - but its communication needs continueto be ministered by both rural and urban sectors;and

3) The rest of the population including most of ruralAfrica, relies almost totally on traditionalinformation sources and can be called the non-participatory audience in terms of media usage.

These categories depict audience needs to be diverse, i.e.,rural, urban, professional, sports, hobbles, gender and other-determined. If what Ugboajah calls the rest of the populationis the target of development communication then one can seeand understand the importance of research for attempting tobring development to them through communication. For bylarge, while population-wise rural audiences are sparse andnot as concentrated as in urban centres, the rural people indeveloping countries invariably represent the masses of thepopulation which are often the most Impoverished segmentsof these societies.

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This realization has not always been the pattern asexplained below: 12 .

It is difficult to assess what research has meant for thedirection of applied communication activities.Perhaps it is realistic to say that practice has comefirst, research afterward, not the other way round. Atthe same time, however, it is clear that research indifferent forms is given a larger role today. Researchhas more is given a larger role today. Research hasmore to offer, since the methods have beenconsiderably refined. But in the early 1960s whenresearch was young and weak, it was the practitionerswho steered.

But with the realization of the need for research Indevelopment communication the results of studies so far areat best mixed and less satisfactory from the point of view ofthe researchers or the projects under study. See for example.Smith and Ray's. "Communication Strategies forAgriculture", which reports: 13

Dozens of studies were carried out in the 50s and 60s todetermine what is better - radio, tv, print orextensionist? The answer is now clear. "What is better,is the wrong question? What is better for whatpurpose? And some clear answers are emerging.Broadcasting media are better at reaching a lot ofpeople quickly with fairly simple ideas. Print media isbest at providing timely reminder of information wecannot expect someone to remember withoutreinforcement. And interpersonal communication,including extensionists, group meetings, communityorganizations and demonstrations are clearly the bestway to teach and develop credibility.

In contrast to the above results, Bogue.l4 reports that astudy commissioned by the National Association ofBroadcasters In the United States in 19-15 and supervised bythe famous Paul Lzarsfield showed limitations of radio'sability to educate, thus:

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Inasmuch as this survey was taken at a time whentelevision was still in its infancy, and radio was stillthe major medium of mass electronic communication,this finding, that about one half of the listeners neveruse the radio for learning, but only for the news andentertainment, is relevant for most developingcountries today.This, however, is only one part of Lzarsfield'sdiscoveries. He also found that the people who aresusceptible to radio education are those who need itless. Educated people tend to use the radio for learning,less-educated people were much less prone to do this.It is clear that the least educated persons had alsolearned the least, while the most-educated persons hadlearned the most from radio. These statistics (whichare typical of many other later studies do not implythat it Is impossible to use the radio for development,but only that the radio has definite limitations forthis kind of communication.

In terms of some hope in the area of research indevelopment communication, Bogue offers: 15

The solution to the problem of overcoming theresistance of listeners to 'being educated' Instead of'being entertained' is to do both simultaneously. Thestrategy should be to introduce the message of socialdevelopment communication into radio programmesof the type which the audience likes to hear, and to doso in such an interesting and entertaining way thatlearning becomes a pleasant and rewardingexperience. Instead of trying to replicate the teacher-classroom situation over the air, the communicatorcomplies with the listening preferences of his audienceand "packages" his messages in forms that blend withand/or reflect the programming the audience isaccustomed to accepting.

While the above is of consolation to both the producer andthe researcher for ensuring listenershlp and programmequality, in terms of a wider impact of radio programmes forrural people and in terms of research that which is pointedout by Shore indicates: 16

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What is apparent from these authors, and from theresults of research in rural development over the pasttwo decades, is the need to consider communicationnot as a simple Independent variable but as both adependent and independent variable in a complex setof relationships with social, economic and politicalstructures and processes. Communication is morerealistically and ancillary variable, subject toconstraints of the rest of the social system.

From the above picture Shore, offers the diagram belowwhich he describes as a progressive model for mass mediaimpact.

A Progressive Modelfor Mass Media

Impact.

SOCIAL

OUTCOME

Note: Each stage is a necessarybut not sufficient conditionfor the other.

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With the above diagram by Shore and taking intoconjunction the following by the present author, the role ofresearch in development communication takes on theperspective of the problems and the limitations as alluded toby the diagrams.

THE RURAL POPULALTION AND ITSCONNECTION TO FACILITIES BY MEDIA

THE MED!/

TV/RADIO

AGRICULTURAL

SERVICES

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BARRIERS/PROBLEMS ROLE OF MEDIA

Languages-Traditions/ Customs-Environmental Support-Technical-Logistical, etc.

-Motivating-Integrating-Coordinating-Following up, etc

Further it becomes the task of research to attempt toaccount for the ideal and the real, taking these two modelsinto account.

Three reports on the success and failure of educationalmedia projects are of interest here:

One report is given by Quarmyne who declares: 18 "Goingthrough a list of some 23 projects which have been labelled aseducational radio projects in Africa over the past two decades,there are only five which I am able to identify as havingsuccessfully fulfilled their objectives or as being in theprocess of doing so. Five out of 23 is not an impressive score".

Also, in the same vein, it is reported: "A number of studieshave examined individual programmes and short- termexperimental projects, but there is little evidence that muchprogress has been made towards establishing participatorymedia systems in the Third World". 19

Radio Bahai of Otavalo, Ecuador, has been cited as asuccessful educational radio project,20 while McAnany andMayo,21 cite Radio Santa Mario in the Dominican Republic,the Nicaraguan Radio Mathematics Project, the TanzanianRadio Study Campaign and the Indian Satellite TV Projects asrelatively successful projects.

On the 25th Anniversary of the U.S. Agency forInternational Development, Sprague notes in this optimisticvein: 2 2

Approximately fifteen years ago the Office ofEducation in the Bureau for Science and Technology(then Technical Assistance Bureau) determined thatcommunications technology could play a vital role indelivering information and providing instruction indeveloping coun t r i e s . Beginning wi th pilotdemonstrations in primary school mathematics and

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nutrition education, the programme has developedInto full-scale operations In almost every sector.Emphasis upon the systematic use of media began witha thorough analysis of the social and economicconditions that developing countries would face forthe foreseeable future. It was readily apparent thatwell-trained, fully-qualified teachers, trainers,extension agents, ad administrators would not beavailable in sufficient numbers, especially in ruralareas, to implement development programmes. As aresult, many people would never receive the education,training or information they need to improve thephysical conditions of their lives. In addition, manyof the development programmes would be os suchuneven quality that even If the information ortraining reached the intended audience, it could beineffective and consequently wasteful of scarce humanand fiscal resources.Countries as culturally diverse as Honduras, Kenya,and Nepal have successfully demonstrated with AIDsupport that communications technology canovercome the barriers of distance and isolation andmake up for the scarcity of trained personnel.Children have been successfully taught reading andmathematics, mothers have learned how toadminister oral rehydration therapy to sick infants,universities have extended the reach of talentedprofessors to distant campuses where students wouldotherwise rarely have the opportunity to hear them,farmers have learned how and when to use fertilizer -all by the systematic and Judicious use ofcommunications technology.It is our task now to inform governments, donors, andall who are concerned with development, that atremendous tool exists which demonstrates itseffectiveness and affordability if properly designedand implemented. That is the task that lies ahead.

Within the framework of the diagrams and the abovereferences, the Liberian Rural Communications Network, adevelopment radio network was established. It has the goalsof fostering:

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1) the Increased utilization by the rural populatlpn ofexisting government services;

2) the expansion of these services to a greater portionof the rural population;

3) increased communications between villages andthe local, regional and national governments;

4) increased involvement and participation in local'and national efforts.

Research in Development Communication and the LRCN

Some Areas of Research in Development Communication

Some areas of research in development communicationare needs analysis/assessment; audience research; formativeprogramme research utilizing feedback systems; impactassessment, community studies; among others., A briefdiscussion of some of these follows:

Needs Assessment is the process of finding problem areasor deficiencies which exist at the national or local levels fromgathering data from the audience than can be translated intoprogramme objectives.

Audience Research provides information on the size,population, language, interests, attitudes and views of theaudience. The danger of the broadcaster transmitting his ownviews or that of his social milieu is avoided and a two wayrelationship with the audience Is assured.

Formative Evaluation Is done continuously to ensureprogramme quality. It is different from summatlveevaluation in that it occurs before the end of a programme orproject. The use of listening groups whose selection is based ontheir representation of the target audience is instructional informative evaluation. Other feedback systems such as radioclubs, use of programme advisory committees, suggestionsand letter boxes or mini-surveys/ratings, could greatly assistin formative research and evaluation.

Impact Assessment gauges the extent to which aprogramme causes changes in the desired direction. It impliesthat there are specified operationally defined goals andcriteria for success. A programme that has Impact is one thatachieves some change towards the desired objectives.23

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The Importance of Research for LRCN

Research in development communication is important atthe Liberian Rural Communications Network because thewhole conceptualization or reason for being of the network isdevelopment promotion, that is the large question of whetherLRCN will in fact significantly impact on the masses of ruralLiberian and fill or bridge a kind of gap that existingdevelopment and government agencies cannot attend to, notunmindful of the limitations and exigencies referred to bythis paper earlier.

Research in development communication is alsoimportant at LRCN because in order to make a difference inprogramming, research is one dimension that needs to behighly relied on for better programmes oriented todevelopment needs of the people and existing realities.

Research is important in a development communicationagency such as LRCN because it is research which will showgraphically what LRCN is doing, i.e., whether itsprogramming is successfully or not. Research is furtherimportant to LRCN because its clients, development agencieswant to see whether their programmes were successful or notand their impact in changing behaviours, attitudes, interests,etc. in the desired direction. As such from the client ordevelopment agency point of view, research will beinstructive. Research is further important at LRCN because asresult of its efforts quite a number of researchable problemswith Implications for LRCN's work will emerge.

Formative programme research is important at LRCNbecause this is the kind of research that will greatly affectprogramme quality. Also basic and baseline research areimportant at LRCN because we need these to do furtherresearch and inform our work.

Research at LRCN is basically geared to understanding thetarget audience and the context or environment of the targetgroup. Some examples of these studies would be studies on thepopulation languages and customs or traditions as seenthrough ethnographic research on the target groups. As sheundertakes these research projects, new insights, methods,etc. will hopefully emerge.

Evaluation at LRCN would be not only an assessment ofthe programming and production capacity of LRCN through

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transmission of the correct messages to the target group. Itwould or rather should go further to evaluate the researchdone of itself as applied to production as well as the technicaland other input lent to production at LRCN.

However the most critical question for research indevelopment communication in our opinion is whether thereis research which explicitly shows that development can beenhanced by communication.

With reference to the project document, the role ofresearch and evaluation would enhance the success of LRCNby three means:

1) Its knowledge of the needs of the rural people ofLiberia;

2) Its knowledge of whether LRCN programming has asignificant audience which is being influenced inthe desired direction by the programming; and

3) Its ability to alter programming as soon as itlearns that current efforts are not achieving thedesired results.

Continuing, the project document elaborates:24It is through research of various kinds that LRCN will

learn of rural people's needs, develop programming whichcontributes to rural development, and refine theprogramming until its objectives are met. In the absence ofresearch, LRCN can only guess at, or arbitrarily decide upon,what the needs of the rural people are. The LRCN'sprogramming decisions will, therefore, be based on empiricalinformation and a rational decision-making processprovided by a systematic and continuous feedbackmechanism. The result will be a network which will be wellmanaged and responsive to rural Liberians.

Conclusions

The present paper has focussed on the topic, "The Role ofResearch in Development Communication at LRCN". Thepaper has striven to bring some understanding to theestablishment of the vital need for research in an entity suchas LRCN. The paper has discussed the purpose and rationalefor research in development communication; elaborated on

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what development communication is; dwelled at length onreasons for research in development communication andtouched on areas of research in development communicationwhile focussing on research in development communicationat LRCN.

Though the role of research in developmentcommunication was at first obscure and dominated more bypractitioners; the need for research has become increasinglymore pronounced and critical. Of the man projectsestablished, it is research which is shedding light on whichprojects are succeeding and which are not. The objectives ofthe projects and the fulfillment of these should both bedetermined by research.

LRCN's impact results for example, after one year ofbroadcast, will hopefully attract more users to the system,serve to guarantee its viability, as well as lend insights toeducational TV in Liberia, already in the pipeline and assistin other development media efforts.

The Liberian Rural Communications Network can bringto cognizance new methods, experiences, etc. in developmentcommunication from its own work while at the same time, itcan impact on national development, unity, languagequestions, literacy, among others.

With the findings from this paper showing that muchmore research needs to be done than has been done and thatthe proper research questions for developmentcommunication and communicators are still beingfashioned, the need for research becomes much moreapparent. The role of the Liberian Rural CommunicationsNetwork in this tremendous task is no less difficult.

References

1. MaAnany, Emile G. and John K. Mayo, "CommunicationMedia in Education for Low-Income Countries:Implications for Planning,", (Preface)

2. Ugboajah, Frank (ed.) Mass Communication, Cultureand Society, N.Y.: Han Zeller Publishers. 1985. p.326

3. Rahim, Syed, "Communication Approaches in RuralDevelopment".

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4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

13.

14

15.

16.

MaAnany, Emile G. (ed.) Communication in the RuralThird World, N.Y.: Praeger Publishers, 1980.

, "A Model of Communication",...

Ibid.

Communication and Change: The Last Ten Years and theNext, (Review) Development Communication Report,(DCR)#19,July, 1977.

Quoted in Brown, Marion and Bryant E. Kearl, "MassCommunication and Development; The Problem ofLocal and Functional Relevance", p.20

Nkinyangi. John A., "Development of the Concept ofDevelopment and Development Communication".

Hein, Kurt, J., "The Review and Assessment of Radio as aMedium Facilitating Community Participation", p.4.

Ugboajah. Frank O.. "Developing IndigenousCommunication in Nigeria". (Revised version of a paperpresented to the Nigerian Television AuthorityTrainee's Course, Continuing Education Centre. LagosUniversity, February 1. 1978).

, "A Model of Communication"....

Smith, William and Howard Ray, "CommunicationStrategies for Agriculture". DCR/Summer 1985,

Bogue, Donald J.. 'The Use of Radio in SocialDevelopment", pp.2 and 4.

Ibid, p. 5.

Shore, Larry, "Mass Media for Development: A Re-examlnatlon of Access. Exposure and Impact". InMcAnany, Emile G. (ed.). Communication In the RuralThtrdWorid, N.Y.: Praeger Publishers. 1980.

8

17. Ibid.

18. Quarmyne, Alex T., "Radio and Educational Needs ofAfrica", DCR, July 1977. #19..

19. Ibid.

20. "Popular Participation in rural Radio: Radio Bahai,Otavalo, Ecuador. (Galley proofs of an article for Studiesin Latin American Radio Popular Culture, Vol.3: 1984.

21. McAnany and Mayo, Op Cit.

22. DCR, 1987/1/NO.56, p.l.

23. Rossi, Peter H. et al. Evaluation (A SystematicApproach) (among other sources).

24. Liberian Rural Information System, Life of ProjectPlan, January 1983. pp.78-79.

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