The impact of educational television on young childrens reading in

the context of family stress

Elizabeth A. Vandewater*, David S. Bickham
This study examined the impact of educational media use on young
childrens (ages 25) reading and prereading skills in the context of various
family stressors (lack of economic resources, family conflict, and maternal
depression). We examined the utility of models positing that family
stressors directly predict the quality of the home learning environment and
educational media use, which then directly predict childrens reading and
prereading skills. Results indicated that all family stressors were negatively
related to the quality of the home learning environment, which was in turn
directly related to childrens reading skills. However, only family conflict
was negatively related to educational media use, though media use was

positively related to reading skills. Moreover, the magnitude of the

relationship between educational media use and reading skills was equal to
that of the relationship between the quality of the home learning
environment and reading skills. Results suggest that educational media use
is less prone to disruption by family stressors than other influences on
young childrens reading and pre-reading skills.
This study examined the possibility that much like reading to their young
children, parents might use educational television programming to enhance
their childrens intellectual development. If this is true, then factors known
to be disruptive to good parenting practices, such as economic strain,
family conflict, and maternal depression may also disrupt parents
encouragement of educational television in their young children. In this
study, we examined the plausibility of this basic hypothesis in three path
models examining the direct and indirect effects of economic resources,
conflict between parents, and maternal depression.
We found that each of these stressors was predictive of lower quality
parenting (in the form of providing an educationally enriching environment
for children). In this finding, our results echo those of many others. In the

face of stressors, parents are less able to provide the structure and warmth
necessary for optimal development of their children.
Contrary to our expectations, the results suggest that in general, family
stressors seem to be somewhat less important in childrens educational
media use than they are in the quality of the home environment.
Specifically, neither economic resources nor maternal depression were
significantly related to educational media use. This indicates that even in a
home where finances are limited and maternal psychological health is less
than optimal, children may be watching educational television and reaping
its benefits.

Non-optimal uses of video in the classroom

Renee Hobbs
This paper examines some instructional practices concerning the non
optimal uses of video, films and other mass media in the K12 classroom.
Based on a six-year process of observing and interviewing teachers
regularly in two school districts in Massachusetts, USA, this paper presents
a typology of seven common patterns of non-optimal media use,
instructional practices that diminish or weaken the value of film and video
viewing as a learning tool.
A telephone survey was conducted with a purposive sample of 130
middle-school and high-school teachers to provide additional evidence
concerning teacher perceptions of the frequency of their colleagues nonoptimal use of video. Teachers in the USA report that their colleagues
frequently use media for non-educational purposes, including to fill time, to
keep students quiet, as a break from learning, or as a reward for good
behavior. The implications of non-optimal media use are considered in light
of renewed interest in integrating media literacy into K12 instruction.

This study demonstrates that non-optimal uses of film, videotape and other
mass media are part of the day-to-day operating practices of many
American public schools, and that these practices are perceived by
educators to be common practices at the middle-school and secondary
levels. While content delivery approaches are dominant, this study found
that teachers do use a wide range of methods for using films, videotapes
and other media materials in the classroom in science, language learning,
health, literature, and social studies. While only a small proportion of
teachers use media as a vehicle for documenting student performance, or
as a tool for creating messages or stimulating classroom discussion or
writing, these practices are occurring in some classrooms.
However, this research shows that many teachers use video and mass
media in routine ways without much explicit reflection on their educational
aims and goals. It is ironic that, while video usage is common in American
public schools, many teachers have not fully thought through their own
educational goals and objectives for using these materials in the
classroom.

Effects of an educational television program on preschoolers:

Variability in benefits
Nazli Baydar, idem Kaitibai b, Aylin C. Kntay b, Fato Gken
This study examined the cognitive effects of an educational early childhood
television program in Turkey that was designed to enhance basic cognitive
skills and socio-emotional development of 5-year-old children. The
program targeted children with low socioeconomic status who had limited
access to formal preschool education. The program was screened for a
period of 13 weeks and was evaluated with an experimental design, with
the addition of a natural observation group. Findings indicated that the
program functioned as an early educational intervention for those children
who had moderate exposure to it. Furthermore, compensatory effects were
found, such that those children who had low levels of skills prior to the
viewing of the program benefited more than their skilled peers. The policy
implications are important for enhancing school readiness among children
in socioeconomically deprived contexts.
The findings indicate that educational television programs targeting children
at preschool ages could indeed have significant benefits for cognitive skills

related to school readiness as long as children frequently watch such

programs. These results extend the extant body of research with
correlational designs by employing an experimental design with random
assignment to intervention and control conditions and pre- and post
screening assessments to estimate the association between exposure to
educational television and child outcomes.
The effects of the televised educational program for preschool children,
BOM, depended on the level of exposure to the program, akin to a dose
response. Whereas some cognitive skills could be significantly enhanced
even at medium levels of exposure to the program (e.g., arithmetic and
vocabulary), some others required a high level of exposure for significant
gains (e.g., syllabification).
Exposure enhanced spatial analogy skills and categorization skills among
children whose skills in those areas were below average. The benefits in
these areas are noteworthy alongside the more specific school readiness
skills because these are general cognitive skills that were not specifically
taught in the program. This finding suggests that the specific skills acquired

through BOM may generalize to enhance cognitive development more

generally.

EVALUATION OF EDUCATIONAL TELEVISION PROGRAMS FOR

DISTANCE LEARNING
Nasreen Akhter
This study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of educational
television programs in distance learning system. Using the procedure of
survey method, this study finds out the worth of educational television
programs. Its results are based on the responses of the learners of
distance teaching system. The views of students were collected by using a
questionnaire prepared by researcher because no standardized tool for the
purpose of study was available. Questionnaire was developed by reviewing
related literature on topic of study that was improved in light of the views of
experts. Content validity and face validity of questionnaire was further
determined by expert opinion. Results of the study indicated, ETV
programs were very useful for students & majority of students get benefit of
it. Therefore, there were some problems as well. In the light of the results
of this study it was also found that majority of students dont get the
broadcasts schedule of ETV programs because of which they miss the ETV
programs & approximately half of the students who view the program

cannot note down the important features of program because of slow

writing speed and non availability of recording facilities.
ETV program are best medium of communication used in distance
education system. It is popular media used in distance teaching system in
all around the world. Role of television in distance education is prominent.
Television play role to deliver lessons to distance learners who has no
regular interaction with a formal teacher in preparation of assessment. Like
other countries, television is an important component of Distance learning
in Pakistan too. It is considered one of the most versatile A/V aids ever
developed. It is an effective & interesting medium of education for largest
possible number of people. ETV is capable of creating interest & motivation
in both children & adults.

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THE VALUE OF EDUCATIONAL TELEVISION: EXAMINING THE

CONTRIBUTION OF DORA THE EXPLORER
Ranwa Hammamy
The role of television in the daily lives of children has been explored for
several decades, with investigations focusing on various aspects of the
medium. One area of childrens programming that has received a great
deal of attention is educational television, and whether or not it serves as a
valuable educational tool. Many of the investigations examining educational
television have studied not only the overall content, but also the
contribution of specific shows, such as Sesame Street or Blues Clues. The
current investigation consists of three distinct parts, the first of which is an
extensive literature review of the research conducted regarding educational
television. The second is a content analysis of the childrens program Dora
the Explorer, which will be utilized to create the study materials for the third
and final portion of the investigation. This third portion is a research
proposal designed to examine the educational contribution of Dora the
Explorer, which has gained popularity throughout the past few years. This
particular show is important to investigate due to several of its unique

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characteristics, such as the inclusion of audience participation and the

regular use of the Spanish language. The current investigation focuses on
the influence of repeated exposure to the program on the viewers ability to
learn the lessons presented, and will take the form of four separate studies.
This investigation will also attempt to determine whether or not the
presence of show-related playtime materials can impact lesson learning
from the program Dora the Explorer.

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