This volume includes the tests, questionnaires, letters, manuals, findings, and analyses associated with the field evaluation of "ThinkAbout," a series of 60 15-minute programs organized in 13 clusters and designed to strengthen the reasoning skills of fifth and sixth graders, and to review and reinforce language arts, mathematics, and…

"Trade-offs" is an instructional television series of 15 programs designed to improve and expand economics instruction in fifth and sixth grade classrooms in the United States and Canada. This paper reviews 15 studies that have examined the impact of the "Trade-off" series, and seeks to determine how the series affects student…

This report describes the major activities and accomplishments for the quarter in production and research for the Sesame Street and Electric Company programs. In addition, activities in public affairs, personnel, budget, international broadcasts, CTW products, and community education services, including services to the mentally handicapped and…

Reported in this document are findings from an evaluation of three kinds of prosocial children's programming broadcasted by the NBC network during the 1980-81 season. The prosocial programmings evaluated were "Drawing Power,""Play Alongs," and "How to Watch TV". The primary goals of the study, as stated by NBC, were…

To compile a comprehensive review of English language scientific literature regarding the effects of television on human behavior, the authors of this book evaluated more than 2,500 books, articles, reports, and other documents. Rather than taking a traditional approach, the authors followed a new model for the retrieval and synthesis of…

The data analysis and findings of the first panel study of adolescents and pre-adolescents in Canada are described. This longitudinal study was designed to (1) gather data on television viewing of heroes and heroines in series in the home environment; (2) analyze verbal responses about television programs to determine values perceived and the…

To test the assumptions that children's perceptions of a news program affect their learning and that their perceptions are in turn affected by age and program context, a study was undertaken involving 435 third through seventh graders. The specific independent and perceptual variables examined were: believability, liking the story and program,…

Three weeks of programing on a major television network during probable children's viewing times was subjected to content analysis to determine the number and types of reading and writing activities performed by television characters and newscasters. The purposes of this analysis were to discover whether television treats reading and writing as…

MAIN TOPICS OF THIS CONFERENCE TO DISSEMINATE WAYS OF IMPROVING TEACHING ON ALL LEVELS ARE--THE TEACHER, ADMINISTRATOR, PRODUCER- DIRECTOR, RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE GRAPHIC ARTIST, CONTEMPORARY RESEARCH, AND INTER-INSTITUTIONAL EXCHANGE OF INSTRUCTIONAL TV MATERIALS. ALSO DISCUSSED ARE--PREMISES GUIDING NATIONAL EDUCATION POLICY AND THE NEEDS OF…

The portrayal of male and female roles on prime-time television programs was investigated. Sixteen programs were observed, and data on the number and occupation of female and male characters, on positive and negative behaviors, including competence and aggression, were recorded. Plot summaries were also written for typical episodes. Research on…

There are three ways by which the social science research community can influence government decision makers. First, researchers need to understand the scope and limitations of governmental agencies such as the Federal Communications Commission. Second, objective research rather than biased "advocacy research" should be conducted.…

Though the television program "The Electric Company" was intended for a second and third grade audience, in May of 1975 the Children's Television Workshop undertook an evaluation of the effects of the program on four, five, and six year olds. The research was aimed at measuring reading gains, the retention of reading gains, and the…

This overview of studies from 1970 to 1975 sponsored by the American Broadcasting Company summarizes the research efforts of five years. In relatively concise but more than outline form, the studies, the findings to date, and directions pursued, and their implications for the broadcasting industry are presented. The 11 studies described dealt with…

This research study examined ways in which exposure to a children's television show (Misterogers' Neighborhood) would enhance the spontaneous imaginative play of children after several weeks. The project, which is detailed extensively elsewhere, involved a comparison of three groups of preschool children in a day care center who either: (1)…

The relationship of television to the roles of society in caring for and nurturing the needs of the immature child are reviewed by the co-chairperson of the Committee on Children's Television. The roots of society's concern for the young are traced to Hammurabi and television's duality in denying that it influences children to violence, while…