Reexamines assumptions about the displacement mechanism, which states that television displaces other activities. Considers strengths and weaknesses of various methodologies used to test the displacement hypothesis. Examines data from an eight-year panel study of the introduction of television to South Africa. Uses a variety of methodologies to…

South Africa, the last urban, industrial, Western-culture society without television, called for television introduction on January 1, 1976. Thus, South Africa represented the last chance to explore certain research questions about the impact of television in modern societies. A study was made of: (1) factors in the South African context which…

Uses a content analysis of U. S. network television coverage of South Africa from January 1982 through May 1987 to determine the impact of varying degrees of censorship on the amount and kind of reporting from South Africa. Finds that press censorship intensified rather than reduced coverage of South Africa. (MM)

Network television news has often been accused of inciting and prolonging incidents of public violence, whether riots or terrorism, and in South Africa this type of thinking has led to increasingly stringent restrictions on both domestic and foreign media covering the violent unrest there. A study determined a chronology of events and analyzed the…

A summative evaluation of the effectiveness of the educational television series, "Statistics," that aired on South African television is presented. The two episodes chosen from the six-episode series covered pie charts, pictograms, and pictographs (episode 1); and point-of-view interpretations of statistics (episode 4). The evaluation…

Conducts interviews with nine groups of South African women, examining their responses to episodes of "Suburban Bliss," a South African television sitcom that attempted to use humor as a catalyst to transcend the aftermath of apartheid. Evaluates whether "cultural reconciliation" is possible through harnessing the varying…

Provides examples from six studies to illustrate how the formative research element of the Sesame Workshop production model has been used to create effective educational media in the United States, South Africa, Egypt, and China. Shows how lessons learned from formative studies provide insights into the development of new research methodologies…

Examines some features of the new television service in South Africa and offers predictions about potential consequences of such technological advancement. (MH)

Describes the process of developing an HIV/AIDS education curriculum for "Takalani Sesame," an educational media project for young South African children. Illustrates the formative research conducted with adults and children, and recounts discussions with HIV/AIDS health specialists. Describes the knowledge, attitude, and skill…

This summative evaluation of two educational television programs, "The Edge" and "The Fortesque File," was based on a sample of "white" and "colored" classified respondents in the Greater Cape Town (South Africa) area. The two samples, which were divided into small panel groups of six to eight respondents…

By the time SABC TV became operational in January 1976 in South Africa, television had already been firmly established in most overseas countries. Therefore prior to the introduction of television there was the opportunity to do research work to determine the effects of television on society. Between 1974 and 1981 the Institute for Communication…

A study examined the feasibility of using television to promote adult literacy and adult basic education (ABE) in South Africa. Following a review of the literature on the experience abroad in using television to promote adult literacy, a preliminary report arguing the case for using television to promote adult literacy and ABE in South Africa was…

The race between Mary Decker and Zola Budd, a head to head confrontation in the 1985 Olympic Games, is examined within the broader context of the transformation taking place in sports as a result of the combined efforts of television and the economic forces of sponsorship. Athletics is going through this process of transformation both economically…

An evaluative research study was undertaken to provide the South African broadcasting industry with information on the feasibility of using video mass media approaches for public education on the Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS). Specifically, the research was designed to determine public knowledge of and attitudes toward AIDS and shifts…

Eleven articles on the evaluation of educational television (ETV) in South Africa are provided. Under the heading "Theory" are: (1) "The Meaning of Evaluation and Its Practice" (D. Nevo); (2) "Criteria for Evaluating ETV: A Theoretical Framework" (R. Israeli); and (3) "Sources of Evaluation Criteria in Education,…