Radio Serials to Change Social Behavior

This 9-page paper explores the Sabido methodology, an approach to development of mass media serial dramas for social change, and how this theory-based approach contributes to behaviour change communication. It seeks to explore how Sabido-style serial dramas differ from conventional “soap opera”-style dramas and how the methodology differs from other entertainment-education approaches. It questions: "why audiences from the Philippines to India, from Tanzania to Ethiopia, and from Mexico to Bolivia find these dramas irresistible - and much more than merely educating in an entertaining way?"

The paper first shares the results from two entertainment-education programmes produced by Population Media Centre (PMC) - Yeken Kignit in Ethiopia and Gugar Goge in Nigeria. According to the paper, the key to the success of these programmes is the use of the Sabido methodology. This methodology is based on theoretical and social research, which is used to develop mass media serial dramas that are based on the realities that people in the audience face daily. These dramas communicate at the emotional level, as well as the cognitive level, and, further, establish the conditions for social learning to take place. Sabido-style serial dramas portray characters as role models who learn to live more fulfilling personal and interpersonal lives.

The major tenet of the Sabido methodology is that education does not have to be boring and that entertainment can be educational. However, the paper suggests that the Sabido methodology is more than mere entertainment-education. The author states that the successful use of the Sabido methodology hinges on two key factors: (1) use of the serial drama format and (2) rigorous adherence to the theories underlying the methodology.

One of the main questions posed about communication interventions is whether the intervention changes behaviour. The author argues that the Sabido methodology has proven that this approach does, in fact, achieve behaviour change. According to this paper, the cost-effectiveness of the intervention has also been proven - Sabido-style serial dramas through mass media have demonstrated cost-effectiveness unmatched by any other communication approach in changing behaviour. The Sabido methodology is also based on various communication theories, each of which plays an essential role in the development of a Sabido-style serial drama.

The author explains that the Sabido methodology requires that a serial drama be of a certain length and duration to be effective. Serial dramas, continuing for several months or years, are, according to this report, a powerful form of entertainment-education that can influence both specific health behaviours and related social norms. By modelling the process of change gradually, serial dramas are less likely to result in backlash or negative reactions by the audience than programmes that try to bring about behaviour change too quickly. This is because serial dramas:

• capture the attention and the emotions of the audience on a continual basis;
• provide repetition and continuity, allowing audiences to identify more and more closely over time with the fictional characters, their problems, and their social environment;
• allow time for characters to develop a change in behaviour slowly, with hesitations and setbacks like those that occur in real life;
• have various subplots that can introduce different issues in a logical and credible way through different characters, a key characteristic of conventional soap operas; and
• can build a realistic social context that will mirror society and create multiple opportunities to present a social issue in various forms.

This paper is now out-of-print and not accessible online.
Those wishing more information may contact Kriss Barker at the email address below for information about the Sabido methodology and PMC projects around the world.