Based on data collected by several individuals in recent years, this report is intended to provide an overview of American public broadcasting and its audiences. The size, characteristics, and viewing patterns of public, noncommercial television viewers are described. Among the findings cited in the report are the following: (1) 80 percent of…

The first non-commercial cable television (CATV) project in Sweden was conducted in Kiruna since it was the site of an established commercial CATV network. The Kiruna project goal was to emphasize locally produced programs. Objectives tested were production and planning forms, cooperation between groups, and utilization of a program bank.…

Major collections of research contributions on the fundamental nature of children's television viewing have been compiled in this book. Each chapter presents the assumptions, methodologies, theories, and major research findings of a particular research program or tradition. Chapters 1 through 4 are directed toward the examination of children's…

As an extensive to an earlier report on pilot shows of The Electric Company that produced high and low visual attention in 2nd and 3rd graders, this study focuses on the effect of contextual attributes on the level of appeal. By analyzing sequences of presentations of bits of information, researchers found that bits of similar appeal levels tend…

Noting drastic changes in both television and the family since the 1990 edition, this revised volume provides an extensive consideration of television's role in the American family, from the uses families make of television and how extensions such as remote controls and VCRs affect usage, to the meanings families have for television, families'…

The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) made a study of British children and the mass media. Statistics were gathered by the BBC Audience Research Department from January to March of 1973. The aim of the study was to examine the influence of television and radio in the lives of children under the age of 15, to describe the aims and range of…

Though previous research has attempted to correlate television viewing with educational outcomes, little research has been done to establish the links between modes of presentation, individual styles of learning, and achievement. Eye movements, for instance, are markedly responsive to differences in presentation, especially to such factors as the…

Straightforward and engaging in style, this book presents 10 essays that provide concrete, step-by-step examples of how to conduct studies of the impact of television on behavior from quantitative perspectives, qualitative perspectives, and an integrated approach, making the volume useful for both undergraduate and graduate students. Its…

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,…

A study of 64 Canadian 7-12-year-olds and of adults who might influence their television viewing habits was made to measure the receptivity and acceptability of "Monkey Bars," a children's television program created as an alternative for Saturday morning viewing. A 50-minute composite tape of program segments was shown, after which…

A reexamination of the role of the mass media in the educational process is presented. Part One establishes the current status of American society and education as seen by Alvin Toffler and Peter L. Klinge, the editor. Also, Charles E. Silberman compares the problems of media with those of education. Part Two attempts to clearly define the effects…

A fundamental distinction is made between basic research which seeks out new, generalizable knowledge, and administrative research which provides information useful to decision makers who have a task to perform. Attention is then given to four types of administrative research: background research, formative research, summative research, and policy…

The airing of "Sesame Street" on Israeli television in 1971 provided an opportunity to study the effects of a sophisticated media format on a media naive audience. Samples of 93 kindergarteners and 224 second and third graders of mixed socioeconomic background were pre- and posttested for cognitive skills and media literacy. After…

Much early research regarded television as a static medium, and it ignored the process of the information delivery and its match with the cognitive style of the viewer. Information processing should be looked at from the dual perspective of eye movement research and the degree of locus control. To uncover the interrelationships of efficient eye…

New forms of postsecondary education such as television colleges, contract learning programs, universities without walls, external degree programs, and education brokers have emerged to complement traditional adult and vocational education programs. New patterns and programs contribute to the open learning movement in higher education and offer…