APPRAISAL OF SILENCE AS A SOCIAL PRACTICE IN DEVELOPMENT COMMUNICATION AND COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION IN ELELE
Abstract
The study was motivated by the persistent limited participation of
community members in development discussions, where silence
often replaces active engagement during decision-making
processes. The objectives were to identify the forms of silence,
examine the factors responsible for silence, and assess its effects
on community participation and development processes in Elele.
The study adopted the survey research design. The population of
the study comprised the projected population of 250,000 residents
of Elele community, while a sample of 380 respondents was
selected for the study. Data were collected using a structured
questionnaire and analyzed using the Weighted Mean Score (WMS)
based on a four-point Likert scale. Findings revealed that silence in
Elele manifests mainly as fear of speaking, respect for authority,
and avoidance of conflict during development meetings. It was also
found that silence is influenced by intimidation, cultural norms,
lack of confidence, and hierarchical structures within the
community. Furthermore, the study showed that silence negatively
affects community development by limiting participation,
weakening feedback mechanisms, distorting decision-making, and
contributing to poor implementation of development projects. The
study concluded that silence is a significant communication
phenomenon that shapes participation and outcomes in
development communication processes in Elele community.
This article is available as a PDF download
Published in Salem Journal of Science, Information & Communication Technology
ISSN: 627-4467X
This article appears in our peer-reviewed academic journal
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