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)