Title: e-Entertainment system (Television)
(Main focus on children)
Keywords
Benefit tools for children, influences children for constructive work, occupies significant propotion,popular media, development of televisual literacy, creates flexible attitudes, social behaviour, parents view towards their child.
Introduction
The main purpose of this literature review is to know and identify review research which supports the view that children’s television is a potentially beneficial medium; that in certain circumstances it can be a powerful educational tool; that it can inform and inspire; and that it is culturally relevant to today’s children. Many discussions of television’s impact on children focus only on its negative influence in relation to violence and advertising, for example, but it is also important to recognise that television can also have a positive impact.
Background
According to (Gunter and McAleer, 1997: xii-xiii).
Television can be of general benefit to children. It can bring them into contact with aspects of life they would not otherwise become aware of. It can provide a valuable tool in the home and at school not simply to keep children occupied but also, if used appropriately, as a constructive way to use their time….Television is not a ‘one-eyed monster’ lurking impishly in the corner of the living room, kitchen or bedroom waiting to exert an evil influence over young members of the household. It is a channel through which a range of entertainment, drama and learning can be obtained and experienced and increasingly these days it is under the control of the viewer
However, before starting such a review it should be noted that children’s television consumption now takes place in a much more complex media environment. When British academic Maire Messenger Davies wrote her book Television is Good for Your Kids in 1989, which challenged the view that television turned its young viewers into ‘layabouts’ and ‘morons’, most British children only had access to the terrestrial offerings of the BBC, ITV and Channel 4. This landscape has radically changed, and British children now inhabit a ‘media-rich’ environment (Livingstone 2002: 41) of multichannel television, mobile phones, the internet and computer games. According
to Ofcom’s latest media literacy audit, 72% of children aged 8-15 now have access to digital TV, 64% have access to the internet at home, half own game consoles, and 65% of 8-15s own mobile phones (including 49% of 8-11year olds) (Ofcom 2006). However, although they use different media in their everyday life, television is still the most popular medium, occupying a significant proportion of children’s time, up to 13.9 hours a week, with higher viewing for those from ethnic minority (15.2 hours) and low income groups (15.5 hours) (Ofcom, 2006; see also Livingstone, 2002: 60; Rideout, 2003: 12).
Understanding how children develop televisual literacy
(Huston & Wright, 1997) represents that,
Media literacy shifts the focus of study from television effects to what children can do with television and other media. Under Section 11 of the Communications Act 2003, regulatory authority Ofcom has a duty to encourage others to bring about a better public understanding of the nature and characteristics of electronic media content and the processes and systems by which it is delivered. Ofcom defines media literacy as’the ability to access, understand and create communications in a variety of contexts’ without which people’s ability to participate in society is greatly curtailed (Ofcom, 2006:2). Media literacy comprises the ability to use a range of media and be able to understand the information received, the ability to analyse the media contents/information critically, the ability to create video and audio content, and the ability to control and judge what kinds of content should be avoided. Viewed from this perspective children are perceived as ‘active’ rather than ‘passive’ media users, capable of developing media literacy skills just as well as the traditional literacy skills of reading and writing
In summary then, children gradually develop different types of skills through watching television. Over time they learn how to understand television, but may not perceive it as adults do. Understanding what children can and cannot do with television and how they perceive it is therefore essential for examining how it impacts their lives. As children acquire more experience of television, their ability to comprehend its content and translate those meanings into learning increases.
Positive and long-term effects of educational television (reading, writing, school-readiness)
(Bromley 2004; Marsh et al 2005). illustrates,
the ways in which they can participate more effectively in traditional school-based literacy practices if they are given more opportunities to exhibit the knowledge and skills they have acquired from their own interests such as Pokemon (Bromley, 2004). Allowed to engage with Pokemon as a group in class, Bromley found that children become very creative in writing their own stories, or a child who had never had social status in the classroom gained confidence by his peer’s acceptance and appreciation of his wide knowledge of Pokemon (Bromley, 2004: 223). In a climate where children have to follow teacher-led models for literacy and numeracy with little recognition of their interests, Bromley suggests that children should be given more opportunities to exhibit their knowledge and skills (Ibid). If educators had more flexible attitudes towards popular culture, they could use some elements to create ‘educational’ material, and also enhance children’s media literacy as well as traditional forms of literacy .
Although very young children can and do learn from educational television, some programmes are more effective than others. Factors which raise this effectiveness include: the use of appealing elements such as humour; the use of age-appropriate topics and language; handling educational content in ways that are clear, direct and explicit; focusing on a small number of ideas in one episode and employing repetition; using action-filled visuals and characters with whom children can identify; encouraging children to actively engage in the content themselves through viewer participation and motivating children to carry their learning forward.
Television and pro-social behaviour
According to, (Marsh et al, 2005,36)
There are few studies of the pro-social effects of children’s television in Britain. In a recent report on young children’s use of popular culture, media and new technologies, parents identified various pro-social behaviours in their children including ‘social interaction, consideration of others, how to deal with situations’ . In this study parents were able to identify examples of pro-social behaviour learned from television, which linked to statements from the foundation stage curriculum:
- maintaining attention, and learning to sit still
- being sensitive to the needs and views of others (e.g. manners, sharing)
- developing respect for different cultures including their own
- to value and contribute to their own well-being and self-control
- to understand agreed values and codes of behaviour, how to behave
- to have an awareness of behavioural expectations
- to understand what is right and what is wrong
- to dress independently and manage their own personal hygiene
- to understand that people have different needs, views, cultures and beliefs that need to be treated with respect
Although the survey illustrates the various pro-social skills that parents believe their children acquire from television, it does not refer to specific effects from specific programmes. Moreover, pro-social effects also occur from programmes which are not educational. For example, Animal Hospital/ER types of programmes can teach children the ethics of care, especially when children see suffering animals (Hill 2005). In a similar vein, children who watched anti-social behavior in the BBC children’s school dram Grange Hill learnt pro-social behaviour. According to Davies:
Why do Children watch TV and how do they watch?
(Chambers et al1998: 39). says
After school, television is seen as something which helps children to relax and unwind. It keeps them entertained without their having to make much of an effort. It is entertainment for children on weekend mornings, keeping them company while mum and dad are still in bed. Cartoons have a particular role within children’s (5-9 years) television viewing. They are short, easy to dip in and out of, fun, funny (they make children laugh), and exciting (the thrill of ‘scary good’) … Children find cartoons both stimulating (action, colour and music), and relaxing (they require little effort to watch). They have a simple content which is easy to follow.
Younger children also use their experience of television in play, imitating Power Rangers or playing Dragon Ball Z games. In this way television content is used to construct make-believe worlds through imagined play .Television in this sense acts as an important outlet to express feelings and fantasies.
How do parents regard their children’s viewing?
The socio-economic backgrounds of parents may influence their attitudes towards their children’s viewing habits. Livingstone (2002), for example, points out that-class children have more options to fill in their ‘unstructured time’ with other leisure activities (e.g. piano lessons) other than television. On the other hand, there is an assumption that lower class families may use television as a baby sitter because it is a safe and relatively inexpensive way of occupying young children in communities with high levels of crime and poverty (see Jordan 2005: 534). However, in general parents in both British and American studies have witnessed beneficial aspects from their children’s engagement with television.
Aims/objectives
- � to use words, gestures, simple questions/statements;
- � to listen to nursery rhymes, stories and songs, joining in with repeated refrains;
- � to enjoy listening to and using spoken language
- � to sustain attentive listening, and respond
- � to extend vocabulary, exploring meaning and sounds of new words
- � to use language to recreate experiences
- � to use talk to clarify thinking, ideas, feelings and events
- � to link sounds to letters
- � to begin to be aware of the way stories are structured
Advantages:
Helps us to catch and avoid being dropped back from the information world.
Its a huge source of knowledge, information and entertainment.
Keeps us up-to-date.
It is convenient and also great way spending a free time.
Disadvantages:
Spending hours watching television is harmful to your eyesight.
Movies containing sexual materials and violence affect the stormy phase of growing children and teenagers.
Lacks concentration in studies.
Conclusion
Although this review has focused on the potential beneficial aspects of television for children, it has not looked at the beneficial aspects of extended media such as children’s experiences of interactive TV, websites and associated toys and games. Increasing media use across different platforms cannot be ignored and is already reflected in a range of studies (Sefton-Green 2002; Livingstone 2002; Rideout et al 2003; Tobin 2004, Calvert et al 2005, Buckingham 2006, Rideout et al 2006, Ofcom 2006).). Examining the impact of television in isolation may not be sufficient in future, and changes in the way that media are consumed across multiple platforms needs to be considered and examined as well.
References
Anderson, D, Bryant, J, Wilder, A, Santomero, A., Williams, M and Crawley, M (2000) Researching Blue’s Clues: Viewing Behaviour and impact. Media Psychology, 2, 179-194.
Anderson, D., Huston, A., Schmitt, K,., Linebarger,D., & Wright, J. (2001) Early Childhood television viewing and adolescent behaviour Monographs of the Society for Research in Child Development, 66, 1.
Anderson, Daniel & Pempek, Tiffany (2005) ‘Television and Very Young Children’, in American Behavioral Scientist Vol. 48. No.5 January 2005 pp505-522
Ball, S., & Bogatz, G. (1970) The First Year of Sesame Street Princeton: Educational Testing Service