**7.6 Interactive radio in a context of underprovision**

The context we experienced over a seventeen year period was one in which there was a dearth of support from the educational authorities. In this context of underprovision, our longitudinal data indicate that the types of limited material support to schools, and the use of these limited resources to support classroom process as well as teaching improvement were highly rated by teachers and principals (Potter, Chand, Naidoo et al., 2007; Silva, 2008). Despite the limitations of its approach to in-service training, the programme was thus able to achieve wide-scale advocacy among teachers, principals and educational officials across South Africa. The advocacy was consistent, even at those times when the programme's implementation was severely compromised.

Despite the tensions with implementation highlighted in this chapter, the programme was able to deliver tangible support to large numbers of schools, ultimately working in 11% of all South African schools. This was possible through the provision of a nation-wide radio footprint by the national broadcaster (the SABC), in a context in which there was reasonably well-developed infrastructure, in terms of roads, electricity and water, telephone lines, hospitals, clinics as well as schools. South Africa has been characterized as both a first and third world country. In this context, we would suggest that it was the combination of different forms of programme delivery using low end ICT's and the programme's provision of tangible and practical school and classroom-based support, which contributed to strong advocacy by teachers and principals at school level (Potter and Naidoo, 2009).

We would also suggest that the emphasis placed on ongoing internal (formative) and external (summative) evaluation contributed to the programme's ability to analyse and document the processes and tensions involved in its development (Hunter, Nonyongo and Smith, 1998; Naidoo & Potter, 2007; Potter, 2002; Potter & Leigh, 1995; Potter & Naidoo, 2009a) This enabled the programme to draw on longitudinal evidence concerning learning gains (Jacobson, 2002; Potter & Leigh, 1995), evidence concerning the ongoing grass-roots support of teachers and principals at school level (Ntshoe, 2000; Potter, C.S. & Silva, 2002; Silva, 2008), and evidence concerning the strong advocacy of educational officials and bureaucrats (Potter & Naidoo, 2009a).

In writing this chapter, we thus had available evaluative evidence drawn on an ongoing basis over seventeen years of contact with teachers, principals and schools. These data suggest that it was the primary advocacy of teachers and principals, supplemented by secondary sources of evidence based on observation of teaching in schools, which contributed to the perception among educational officials that "English in Action" was valuable. It provided in-service training and support for teachers and learners which was compatible with the policy of the South African educational authorities with respect to outcomes-based education (Naidoo, 2002; Ntshoe, 2000; Potter, Chand, Naidoo et al., 2007).

support, the programme was also prescriptive in defining what teachers were expected to

The model was thus one of a little to many, as opposed to more to just a few. The little included setting out clear guidelines on how to link the tangibles provided in the radio lessons and the classroom support materials to the more general demands for improvements and transformation of their teaching practices which were being made by the educational

The context we experienced over a seventeen year period was one in which there was a dearth of support from the educational authorities. In this context of underprovision, our longitudinal data indicate that the types of limited material support to schools, and the use of these limited resources to support classroom process as well as teaching improvement were highly rated by teachers and principals (Potter, Chand, Naidoo et al., 2007; Silva, 2008). Despite the limitations of its approach to in-service training, the programme was thus able to achieve wide-scale advocacy among teachers, principals and educational officials across South Africa. The advocacy was consistent, even at those times when the programme's

Despite the tensions with implementation highlighted in this chapter, the programme was able to deliver tangible support to large numbers of schools, ultimately working in 11% of all South African schools. This was possible through the provision of a nation-wide radio footprint by the national broadcaster (the SABC), in a context in which there was reasonably well-developed infrastructure, in terms of roads, electricity and water, telephone lines, hospitals, clinics as well as schools. South Africa has been characterized as both a first and third world country. In this context, we would suggest that it was the combination of different forms of programme delivery using low end ICT's and the programme's provision of tangible and practical school and classroom-based support, which contributed to strong

We would also suggest that the emphasis placed on ongoing internal (formative) and external (summative) evaluation contributed to the programme's ability to analyse and document the processes and tensions involved in its development (Hunter, Nonyongo and Smith, 1998; Naidoo & Potter, 2007; Potter, 2002; Potter & Leigh, 1995; Potter & Naidoo, 2009a) This enabled the programme to draw on longitudinal evidence concerning learning gains (Jacobson, 2002; Potter & Leigh, 1995), evidence concerning the ongoing grass-roots support of teachers and principals at school level (Ntshoe, 2000; Potter, C.S. & Silva, 2002; Silva, 2008), and evidence concerning the strong advocacy of educational officials and

In writing this chapter, we thus had available evaluative evidence drawn on an ongoing basis over seventeen years of contact with teachers, principals and schools. These data suggest that it was the primary advocacy of teachers and principals, supplemented by secondary sources of evidence based on observation of teaching in schools, which contributed to the perception among educational officials that "English in Action" was valuable. It provided in-service training and support for teachers and learners which was compatible with the policy of the South African educational authorities with respect to outcomes-based education (Naidoo, 2002; Ntshoe, 2000; Potter, Chand, Naidoo et al., 2007).

advocacy by teachers and principals at school level (Potter and Naidoo, 2009).

do in terms of providing outcomes-based education.

**7.6 Interactive radio in a context of underprovision** 

implementation was severely compromised.

bureaucrats (Potter & Naidoo, 2009a).

authorities on teachers.

In this context, our data suggest that acceptance of this educational innovation was gradual and incremental, and was based on acceptance of the value of the programme's work on multiple levels in the educational hierarchy (Fullan & Stiegelbauer, 1991). Our data also indicate that there was particularly firm advocacy on the part of departmental subject advisers, many of whom worked with the programme staff in teacher in-service training workshops. Given acceptance of the programme by teachers and its partnerships with the education authorities and the SABC, the programme achieved a certain level of institutionalization (DfID, 2004). It developed to form an integral part of the educational departmental structures with respect to in-service training and support to schools. Nevertheless, sustainability remained a problem, with programme remaining dependent on international donor support, as opposed to financial support from the educational authorities.
