NCJ Number
46754
Date Published
1976
Length
62 pages
Annotation
RESULTS ARE REPORTED OF A SURVEY OF 636 SIXTH GRADERS OF HIGH, LOW, AND MIDDLE SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS (SES) AND OF 141 ELEMENTARY SCHOOL TEACHERS, EXAMINING THE IMPACT OF TELEVISION ON CHILDREN.
Abstract
QUESTIONNAIRE ITEMS IN THE PUPIL SURVEY PERTAINED TO THE AMOUNT OF TELEVISION (TV) VIEWING, VIEWING PREFERENCES, FAMILY ACTIVITIES, AND RESTRAINTS ON VIEWING. PARTICULAR EMPHASIS WAS PLACED ON ATTITUDES TOWARDS VIOLENCE. ANALYSIS OF DATA INDICATED FEW DIFFERENCES IN VIEWING PATTERNS OR PREFERENCES BETWEEN BOYS AND GIRLS; THERE WERE, HOWEVER, A NUMBER OF FAIRLY PRONOUNCED DIFFERENCES AMONG THE THREE SES GROUPS. IT WAS FOUND THAT TELEVISION VIEWING IS A FAVORITE PASTIME OF MOST PUPILS AND THAT MORE HIGH THAN LOW SES CHILDREN WATCH 2 HOURS OR LESS PER DAY, WHILE MORE LOW THAN HIGH SES CHILDREN WATCH 8 HOURS OR MORE PER DAY. THE MAJORITY OF CHILDREN WATCH TELEVISION FOR ENTERTAINMENT AND PREFER SHOWS WITH ACTION AND INTEREST. OVER 50 PERCENT OF THE PUPILS REPORTED THAT THEY COULD WATCH TELEVISION WHENEVER THEY WANTED, ALTHOUGH PARENTAL RESTRICTIONS WERE PLACED ON THE VIEWING OF CERTAIN TYPES OF PROGRAMS SUCH AS LATE SHOWS, HORROR SHOWS, OR VIOLENT PROGRAMS. CHILDREN PREFERRED SITUATION COMEDIES IN WHICH THEY PERCEIVED LITTLE OR NO VIOLENCE. HIGH AND MIDDLE SES CHILDREN PERCEIVED LESS VIOLENCE IN A LISTING OF VARIOUS SHOWS THAN DID LOW SES CHILDREN. THE SHOWS PERCEIVED AS HAVING THE GREATEST AMOUNT OF VIOLENCE WERE LEAST LIKELY TO BE RATED 'REALLY GREAT,' PARTICULARLY BY HIGH AND MIDDLE SES CHILDREN. THE SURVEY OF KINDERGARTEN, THIRD GRADE, AND SIXTH GRADE TEACHERS EXAMINED PROGRAM RECOMMENDATIONS FOR CHILDREN AND THE PERCEIVED IMPACT OF VIOLENCE AND TELEVISION IN GENERAL ON THEIR PUPILS. TEACHERS' RESPONSES TO THE QUESTIONNAIRE DIFFERED ACROSS ALL GRADE LEVELS. APPROXIMATELY ONE-THIRD OF THE TEACHERS RECOMMENDED A SPECIFIC PROGRAM TO THEIR PUPILS AT LEAST ONCE A MONTH AND ALLOWED CLASSROOM DISCUSSION OF THAT PROGRAM. PROGRAMS RECOMMENDED WERE USUALLY NATURE, CURRENT EVENTS, SEASONAL, OR OTHER SPECIAL PROGRAMS. ONE-THIRD OF THE THIRD AND SIXTH GRADE TEACHERS USED TELEVISION AS AN INSTRUCTIONAL AID AT LEAST ONCE EVERY 2 WEEKS, WHILE ONE-THIRD OF THE KINDERGARTEN TEACHERS NEVER USED TV IN THE CLASSROOM. TEACHERS TENDED NOT TO USE TV IN THE CLASSROOM BECAUSE OF SPACE, TECHNICAL, OR PROGRAM PROBLEMS. TEACHERS WERE FAIRLY KNOWLEDGEABLE ABOUT THEIR PUPILS' VIEWING PREFERENCES, BUT PERCEIVED A GREATER DEGREE OF VIOLENCE IN ACTION PROGRAMS THAN DID THE PUPILS. TWO-THIRDS OF THE TEACHERS FELT CHILDREN ARE MORE AGGRESSIVE NOW THAN 10 YEARS AGO AND ATTRIBUTE THIS INCREASE TO SUCH FACTORS AS GREATER PERMISSIVENESS, MEDIA VIOLENCE, AND A FASTER PACE OF LIFE. A MAJORITY OF THE TEACHERS HAD OBSERVED CHILDREN ENGAGING IN VIOLENT OR OTHER UNDESIRABLE BEHAVIORS WHICH COULD BE ATTRIBUTED TO TV VIEWING. TEACHERS IDENTIFIED A VARIETY OF BOTH POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE INFLUENCES OF TELEVISION VIEWING ON CHILDREN. TEACHER AND PUPIL QUESTIONNAIRE FORMS ARE PROVIDED. (JAP)