The Effects of Television: Views from the Next Generation.

Item request has been placed! ×
Item request cannot be made. ×
loading   Processing Request
  • Additional Information
    • Peer Reviewed:
      N
    • Source:
      30
    • Abstract:
      Research on audience response to television suggests that viewers are actively involved, apply identifiable and consistent evaluative criteria, and have distinct ideas about the role of the medium in their lives. In light of this research, a study focused on 264 randomly selected sixth through tenth grade students in a Tennessee school system to determine the influence of television on their lives. The subjects wrote essays in their English classes describing what they felt to be the influence of television on them, their family, or American society. Essays were coded for both the number and type of influence cited by each student. Results indicated little evidence of clear-cut positive or negative interpretations of the medium's influences. Students identified a wide variety of both positive and negative effects. At least 90% of the subjects had something positive to say about television, and its entertainment value and usefulness as an information source were frequently cited. Only 62% of the sample identified at least one negative influence of television, and the most frequent criticism was that exposure to television sex, drugs, and violence might negatively affect impressionable viewers' behavior. Multivariate analyses indicated that both IQ and grade level were significantly related to mentions of positive and negative influences of television, with older and brighter students tending to be more negative and cynical about television's effects. (SKC)
    • Publication Date:
      1988
    • Accession Number:
      ED287181