Learning with Media:Learning with Media:Learning with Media:Learning with Media:
Educational Television for Educational Television for ChildrenChildren
What is educational?• Academic Skills
– thinking skills like problem solving– academic content like vocabulary and math
• Prosocial Skills– altruism, positive interaction, self control
• Other Definitions– APPC Educational Strength
Assumptions…1) Content is critical…
TV as a medium is neither good nor bad – it depends on what kids watch.
2) Children are active viewers…Children are cognitively active when watching TV.
3) The family is a socializing force…The family is the core socializing force influencing children’s use of TV and what they learn from it. (Huston & Wright, 1996)
The Active Child…
TV is a one-way medium & learning is a two-way process.
How can we create educational content to…
1. attract & maintain children’s attention?
2. actively engage children (participatory learning)?
3. facilitate the learning of desired concepts?
The Preschool Crowd…
• Sesame Street
• Blues Clues
• Dora the Explorer
The Active Child…
Piaget’s Cognitive Developmental Theory
• Stages of Development
– Sensorimotor Stage (infancy)– Preoperational Stage (2 – 5 yrs)– Concrete Operational Stage (5 – 11
yrs.)– Formal Operations (10 – 16? yrs.)Example of Conservation Task:
The Active Child…Vygotsky’s Theory of Cognitive
Development
• Language Acquisition
• Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD)
• Social & Cultural Contributions
The Role of Research…
• Formative Research: How can we make show better?
– Pilot test new program segments
– Measure attention, interest, production
• Summative Research: What do children learn?
– Evaluate effectiveness of programming
» A&E Sesame Street Biography
Research Enhances Learning…
• Sesame Street Goals
– Communicate w/ low SES audience.
– Target children under age 6.
– Teach school readiness skills.
– Use entertainment production techniques.
Summative Research Enhances Early Learning…
• Evaluation: The Early Window Project
– Research Question• Do Sesame Street and other educational
programs get children ready for school?
– Sample• 200+ (2 – 5 years / 4 – 7 years)• Low to moderate income families
EWP Continued…– Method
• 3-year longitudinal study following 2 cohorts
– Measures• Office Visits
– Standardized Tests w/Children, Parent Interviews
• Home Visits– Home Observational Measure of the Environment
• Time-Use Diaries– Bi-Monthly Diaries Collected Via Telephone
EWP Results
Other Summative Research…
• School House Rock
• Reading Rainbow
• Mister Roger’s Neighborhood
• Fat Albert & the Cosby Kids
• Barney & Friends
0 – 6 Media Use Report…
• Your questions…
– How young is too young?
– What are the most pressing concerns?
Infants & Toddlers…
Baby Einstein videos…
Media Policy:The 3-Hour Rule
• Children’s TV Act of 1990
• 3 hours of educational TV per week
• Broadcasters -The Jetsons educational?
• Necessary to provide broadcasters w/ educational guidelines.
Media Policy:The 3-Hour Rule
• Air between 7am and 10pm;
• Education as a significant purpose;
• Regularly scheduled & typical length;
• Identified as educational on the air (E/I symbol) and in documents filed with the FCC and local stations.
The 3-Hour Rule: APPC Educational Strength
• Lesson Clarity
• Lesson Involvement
• Lesson Integration
• Lesson Applicability
The 3-Hour Rule…Results
Who is the target audience?
Preschool Age Children
7%
School Age Children
57%
Preteens/Teens36%
What are programs teaching?
Social/Emotional45%
Traditional Academic
41%
Mixed Content7%
Physical Well Being4%
Could Not Code3%
The 3-Hour Rule…Results
Moderately Educational57%
Highly Educational20%
Minimally Educational23%
Highest Rated Programs:Bloopy’s Buddies (S)
Disney’s Doug (ABC & S)Disney Presents Bill Nye and Science Guy (S)
Popular Mechanics for Kids (S)Squigglevision (ABC)
Lowest Rated Programs:Inquirer High School Sports Show (S)
More than a Game (S)NBA Inside Stuff (NBC)
NFL Under the Helmet (FOX)Pressure 1 (S)Pressure 2 (S)
Sherlock Holmes in the 21st Century (FOX)