Failing our Children? The comprehension of younger viewers

Abstract

Educationalists are failing to help children acquire the skills needed to understand television, despite its importance in our society and schools. The present study examines whether a successful course of television literacy could be developed to cover the entire school age range, based on a common approach. Results indicate that the course was successful at all levels, and suggest that further research might identify factors which influence television comprehension.

Helping Viewers Learn from Television: a new approach to increasing the impact of the medium

“…It is these courses that are, arguably, fundamental to changing audience learning from television. The development of these courses, covering the whole spectrum of schoolaged children, has been undertaken by the Television Literacy Project as part of a sequence of linked pilot projects (Kelley et al, 1985(Kelley et al, , 1987Kelley, 1991; but see Baron, 1985). While these courses do draw elements from other research projects, they are new both in their aims to increase understanding, and in their emphasis on the contribution participation in production activities makes to developing comprehension skills.…”