The role of community radio in promoting positive parenting styles and comprehensive child development

Abstract

This article analyzes the role of community radio as an educommunicative tool for promoting positive parenting styles and strengthening comprehensive child development in rural and intercultural contexts of Cotacachi, Ecuador. The study follows a mixed-methods, applied, and descriptive approach, integrating digital surveys administered to 120 families, interviews with community leaders, documentary review, and the production of bilingual radio content (Spanish and Kichwa) under an observational, cross-sectional, and action-research design. Initial results revealed the predominance of the authoritarian style (52%), followed by the permissive (28%) and the democratic or positive style (20%), as well as limited knowledge about secure attachment. In response, 34 radio products: 30 short messages and 4 full-length programs, were produced and broadcast in more than 250 airings, reaching an estimated audience of 3,000 to 5,000 daily listeners. Interviews indicated that radio was perceived as an accessible and culturally relevant medium for learning new parenting practices, recognizing the long-term effects of authoritarian styles, and adopting more affective, dialogic, and equitable approaches at home. The study concludes that community radio functions as an effective and replicable educommunicative strategy, capable of linking scientific knowledge with local wisdom, while fostering family co-responsibility and promoting the integral development of children in rural and intercultural territories.