This paper, which explores the efforts made by teachers and others in England to promote the study of the media in formal education structures, begins by presenting a brief introductory overview of key historical events in media studies that have affected its identity and evolution. The paper investigates, in particular, post-16 further education…

Reports that a classification of television news uses and gratifications based on research in Leeds, England, did not adequately encompass the functions of television news for a United States audience. (GW)

This paper discusses the relationship between national identity and the so-called "marginal" areas of Irish television, i.e., advertisements, continuity announcements, and promotional trailers. The following issues are considered: (1) how these "spaces" between television programs compare in terms of use and influence to…

Explores the social correlates of the interpretive abilities of young children to assess televised narratives. Demonstrates negative correlations between amount of television viewed by parents and children's television comprehension, indicating that the more parents viewed television, the worse their children performed on comprehension tests.…

Analyzed the discourse about television programs of 1,300 5- to 13-year-olds from England and Wales. Found that discourse expressed socially responsible and public service values in evaluating programs. Explained finding in terms of children's adaptation to task requirements and ability to access different kinds of adult discourse available in the…

Study of secondary school pupils' reactions to viewing careers education materials in which people were shown in occupations traditionally associated with the opposite sex found that young adolescents viewing counter-stereotyped programs were no less stereotyped in career beliefs. Results are discussed in terms of resilience of sex role in…

A research study into the effects of educational television on British secondary school pupils investigated the attitude changes and other effects resulting from follow-up activities such as discussions and essay writing. Results showed that follow-up activities stimulate pupils to become more open and tentative and less dogmatic. (EAO)

This paper focuses on the domestic world of home and family life as it examines important factors that bear on the use of television and video by women. Based on interviews with women of different ages, economic status, educational backgrounds, family circumstances, and general social environments, the paper describes the following feminine…

Examines the contribution of British television viewing to viewers' politics. Finds an association between heavy television viewing and political centrism. Finds also that television constructs a mainstream around its fictional output while preserving pluralism through current affairs, and that political leaning does not occur through repetition…

To compare American and English audience attitudes after viewing the television production of "Roots," a study was devised whereby sample groups from both countries were surveyed regarding their perceptions of program content and its historical accuracy, their judgments regarding the show's portrayal of slavery, and their personal racial…

A questionnaire on attitudes toward war play was given to 316 Italian and 84 English parents of children aged 2 to 6 years. In both cultures, boys were significantly more likely than girls to engage in solitary and social war play. Parental attitudes, television, and peers were the major sources of influence on war play. (Author/LB)

Two studies used multidimensional scaling to uncover viewers' spontaneous, largely implicit interpretations of Dallas (American) and Coronation Street (British), two soap operas in a genre of social realism that explicitly aims to parallel or directly contribute to the symbolic world of the viewer. The results bear upon the discipline of social…