Educational Radio Programming in Iran: Requisites and Functions

Radio is used for educational purposes in many countries all over the world. However، its significance، for both formal and informal learning، has been overlooked in Iran، regarding the data driven from multiple researches on this subject. The current study is aimed at outlining the significance of starting an educational radio station in Iran، considering the social، cultural and economic settings of the country، and it tries to introduce patterns for educational programming. The underlying theoretical framework of this study is based on Lasswell & Lerner’s theories. The data will be driven from the semi-structured interviews with eight experts on the field. Upon data analysis، it will become apparent that an educational radio station is greatly needed in a country like Iran with a large number of rural societies، multiplicity of cultures، and problems like inaccessibility to educational services. Radio، as it is easily accessible for all، can be used as a teaching assistant tool for formal learning. Moreover، concerning informal learning، radio can have an effective role in increasing public knowledge، accelerating social development and generating educational justice.