Messages about Education in TV Programs Popular with Children and Teenagers. Final Report.

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  • Additional Information
    • Peer Reviewed:
      N
    • Source:
      88
    • Sponsoring Agency:
      Office of Educational Research and Improvement (ED), Washington, DC.
    • Subject Terms:
      Academic Achievement; Adolescents; Career Awareness; Commercial Television; Drug Abuse; Drug Use; Educational Research; Elementary Secondary Education; Mass Media Effects; Occupational Aspiration; Part Time Employment; Popular Culture; Preadolescents; Programing (Broadcast); Role Conflict; Role Models; Self Efficacy; Sex Stereotypes; Socioeconomic Status; Student Behavior; Television Research; Television Viewing; Violence
    • Abstract:
      Televised portrayals of variables that are related to educational and occupational aspirations and educational motivation have the potential to influence viewers' attitudes, expectations, and behaviors in these domains. In order to test this premise, a study assessed messages about these variables and about drug use in the prime-time television programs on ABC, CBS, and NBC most popular with children (aged 6-11) and teenagers (12-17) in the United States. Fifty-one programs for children and teens, selected on the basis of Nielsen ratings of the top 20 prime-time programs in November 1985 and November 1986, were analyzed with a mixture of quantitative and qualitative content analysis and elements of audience research. Results showed programs can be placed in two categories: (1) programs in which the producers seemed to be making a conscious effort to include some content of special interest to, and with potential benefit for, children and teens, including, but not limited to, messages concerning educational and vocational motivations and aspirations and achievement; and (2) programs in which there is little if any focus on learning in the broad sense or education in the narrow sense. Programs in both categories have considerable sex stereotyping, contain little information about occupations and schools, and focus on middle and upper socio-economic status and materialism. (Five tables of data are included and 110 references are appended.) (MS)
    • Publication Date:
      1988
    • Accession Number:
      ED296405