Transforming grassroots communities in Ghana: Is dialogue-based education the answer?

This study is framed by Freire’s dialogue-based education (DBE) on transforming grassroots communities. Grassroots communities in Ghana experienced improvements yesteryears as local leadership groups (LLGs) and community members (CMs) learned via (DBE) to foster strong self-help spirit in implementing community development (CD) projects. DBE seems waning at grassroots communities in Ghana. This study explores how DBE can be revitalized in grassroots communities for CMs increased participation in self-help projects. This study seeks to identify contributions of DBE to CD, assets of CMs to CD, challenges and strategies for increased CMs participation in self-help CD projects. Critical and dialogical mixed methods research (MMR) was employed which tilted toward qualitative approaches using story-telling and conversational approaches. Semi-structured interview schedules and key informant interviews were administered to 45 CMs and LLGs who participated in the study. Descriptive statistics, thematic and interpretivist approaches were adopted in presenting the results. Participants’ voices and experiences with DBE in transforming communities were garnered. The results showed that DBE was not employed as part of CMs participation in self-help CD projects. Accountability and transparency were lacking among LLGs. Poverty, apathy, and lethargy also hindered CMs active participation in CD projects. More education and training on DBE and self-help CD to LLGs and CMs should be provided. This can inform policy decision-making in creating learning groups in grassroots communities. The results of the study have wider implications for both LLGs and CMs active participation in CD projects to transform local communities in Ghana.