Chapter 12: Research on Learning from Television (12.5 Family-Viewing Context)
Summary:
This section of the chapter discusses the specifics of how the viewing of TV occurs and how those elements impact child development. It looks into the placement of the TV within the house, the context with which it is viewed, whether the subject being viewed is discussed and how it is discussed, and many others.
The basic conclusion to their findings was that if the parents are conscious about what their children are watching and how much they are watching it does have an impact. But, the most influential action is having conversations with their children about the context of the show, which induces critical thinking about “the reality of the program or the rightness or wrongness of the behavior portrayed” (p. 279).
It follows the traditional view of parenting. Parents should be involved in their children’s lives and take advantage of opportunities to teach their children about the world and how to function in it. The more involved they are, the better prepared their children will be for life situations and to excel farther in school.
Reflection:
I am going to point out a few of the findings I found interesting. This chapter discusses the impact that TV has on other activities. It surprised me that over half of those surveyed admitted to changing their sleep patterns and altering meal times for TV, and 78% admitted they use TV as an electronic babysitter. This was taken from a study done in 1978, I cannot imagine what the results would be today!
The second part that interested me was the section on coviewing and the conversations had with children. It says that children do not benefit from simple comments about the people or events portrayed on TV but by an atmosphere that promotes critical thinking and explanation about the issues. Parents do not take advantage of the opportunity to control the effect the content has on their children. Having children engage in critical discussions and interpretations of what they are seeing can “increase the understanding of TV and improve judgments about reality and fantasy, and reduce total viewing” (p.280).
Since its creation, TV has had an impact on the American household. It is up to us to determine what type and how much of an impact it has on our children and ourselves.