The education and empowerment of immigrant Latinos through talk radio

This study looks to Spanish-language radio as a culturally appropriate tool for educating immigrant adults. Recognized extensively as an effective tool for educating and empowering individuals, many consider radio the medium of choice of the less literate. This descriptive study examines the only national Spanish-language talk show in public radio, Línea Abierta , to discover the educational benefits of this program and to determine whether it contributes to the empowerment of its listeners. Thirty-five Latino immigrant adults were interviewed across three states either by phone or face-to-face utilizing a standardized interview protocol. Findings are analyzed according to the ideas of John Dewey, Paulo Freire, and Lev Vygotsky. Results of the study suggest that the program, Línea Abierta , facilitates the empowerment of its listeners by (a) contributing to increased awareness and access to information; (b) enhancing the sense of community of Latinos; and (c) providing a dialogic tool that allows people to take the initiative in adapting and transforming their lives. The data indicate that the program has made a difference in the quality of peoples\u27 lives. The data support other studies that document the importance of maintaining and building upon the home language and culture. The program, Línea Abierta , creates Vygotskian zones of proximal development by challenging immigrant listeners to co-construct knowledge through dialogue and discussion with their peers