Betiang_full.docx

Environmental education, field interventions and entertainment-education have been deployed to raise ecological consciousness in society; and studies tend to focus more on impacts, audiences and social change; often overlooking the critical encoding segment in the communication chain. If animistic or romanticist ‘immersion in nature’ engenders eco-friendly dispositions, it’s also possible that behavior change can come from immersing change-agents (cast/crew) in natural environments to enhance eco-consciousness and improve encoding and communication competencies. This study used participant observation within natural immersive production environments; and random interviews to assess eco-behavior change in key cast/crew in the production of Linda’s Joint, a radio serial on gorilla protection in Cross River State, Nigeria. Findings show that majority of cast/crew imbibed eco-friendly attitudes, showed improved encoding competencies and became convinced change-agents following their participation in the production. Significantly, the study strengthens pedagogical values of loop-writing approaches and experiential learning especially in ambient production locations.