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Some studies of interventions based on the dominant paradigm conclude
that community participation is of essence to the effectiveness
of the programs. On the other hand, some evaluators of the participatory
approach recognize also the need of transmission of knowledge including
the role that outside experts can play in the development and implementation
of projects (Morris, 2001).
Freire recognizes that even though the teacher learns from the student,
they are not on an equal footing; there are many differences between
them, one of them being a generational difference (1985). Freire
(1987) further explains that “at the moment the teacher begins
the dialogue, he or she knows a great deal, first in terms of knowledge,
and second in terms of the horizon that he or she wants to get to”.
The dichotomy between the diffusion model and participatory theory
appears to be breached when theorist from both ends incorporate
elements of importance for both theories. Rogers (1983) realizes
that the media has an important role in increasing awareness, but
interpersonal communications and personal sources are crucial in
the adoption of innovations. Therefore, he incorporates some participatory
component in his rationale. Reardon & Rogers (1988) reiterates
the importance of peer networks in the decision to adopt a new idea,
not withstanding media influence. The diffusion of innovations model
proposes that both media and interpersonal communications are necessary
to bring change. In his own words:
Other types of diffusion are more accurately described by a
convergence model, in which communication is defined as a process
in which the participants create and share information with one
another to reach a mutual understanding (Rogers, 1983, p.xviii).
Moacir Gadotti (1996) calls attention to the importance of evaluating
the power of audiovisual communications in education, either to
inform or to narrow minds. He argues that the purpose of the school
is to teach how to think critically, therefore it is necessary to
dominate language, including electronic language. In this assertion,
the participatory paradigm goes beyond the teacher-student dialogue
to also include other forms of communication and electronic interaction
in the equation.
Some of the current approaches to entertainment-education consider
the integration of media channels and interpersonal communications
for effective intervention strategy (Flay & Burton, 1990). Aligned
with this concept, this research comes from the perspective that
the media is a valuable tool to raise awareness and knowledge about
a given problem, combined with Rogers’ (1998) conclusion that
the media are able to expose a large amount of people to a subject
and generate conversations among audiences and others who otherwise
would not be exposed to the specific message. Furthermore, it comes
from the understanding that Subjects (audience, forum participants)
are able to critically act and reflect about the media message,
in this case the Muslim culture. Praxis is evident by the participation
in the dialogue through the forum website.
Pulling from these two theories, the theoretical framework for this
research will combine the social learning/cognitive theory notion
of vicarious learning, self-reflective capabilities, and Freire’s
theory of dialogue and critical thinking. At the heart of these
theories lie their commonalities: the belief that individuals and
communities have the intrinsic power to bring change through self-efficacy
and empowerment.
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