Who
We Are
Suggestions
Related Sites
Search
|
|
Story Starters: Education Folder: Beyond the Classroom File
Lead: Kids are jockeying with Sam Donaldson to cover the GOP National Convention?
Brief Synopsis
For years parents have worried about their children watching too much TV, but today kids are watching more than ever. Media literacy advocates attack the problem by actually having kids watch TV and teaching them how to analyze it critically. At Youth Voice Collaborative, an after-school media literacy program operated by the YWCA in Boston, Mass, kids are taught critical thinking and engage in hands-on creation of media products. Find out about a new on-line news service, The Voice, created by the young participants in this innovative program.
Program
Youth Voice Collaborative
c/o YWCA Boston
140 Clarendon St., Boston, MA 02116
(617)351-7644
email: yvc@yvc.org
Story Contact
Ann Manubay
Youth Voice Collaborative Coordinator
Youth Voice Collaborative
c/o YWCA Boston
140 Clarendon St., Boston, MA 02116
(617)351-7644
Expert Contacts
Renee Hobbs, PhD
Professor of Communications Babson College
(781)239-4975
email: ReneeHobbs@aol.com
Dr. Hobbs is an expert in media education for grades K-12
Julie Dobrow, PhD
Professor of Child Development
Eliot-Pearson Department of Child Development
Tufts University, Medford, MA 02155
(617)627-3355
Dr. Dobrow specializes in the study of children and the media
Background
Children in America spend more time watching television than attending school. Bushman, B.J. (1995) Moderating role of trait aggressiveness in the effects of violent media on aggression. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. Vol. 69, No.3, 950-960.)
On average, children ages 2-17 years spend 2.1 hours per day watching television, more than any other activity besides sleeping. Television in the Home: The 1997 survey of Parents and Children. The Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania, June, 1997.
54% of US children have a television set in their bedrooms. National Television Violence Study. Studio City: Mediascope, Inc. 1996 http://www.mediascope.org
A study of the effects of media literacy training on third graders' perceptions of alcohol advertising suggests that such training can have both immediate and delayed effects on children's use of TV portrayals of alcohol use to make decisions about alcohol. Austin, Erica & Johnson, KK (1997) Immediate and delayed effects of media literacy training on third graders' decision-making for alcohol. Health Communication, v 9(4), 323-349.
The average child watches over 20,000 commercials each year. Myths and Facts about telvision viewing in America. The American Psychological Association, 1992 http://www.apa.org
A study of female high school sophomores showed that students who participated in a media literacy curriculum reported less internalization of the thin beauty standard and lower perceived realism of media images than those who did not participate in the curriculum. Irving, Lori M., DuPen, Julie, Berel, Susan. (1998) A media literacy program for high school females. Eating Disorders: the Journal of Treatment and Prevention. Vol 6(2), 119-132.
Related Coverage
Teen Rap: Assignment Politics: Youth press corps gets an inside look at the GOP convention. The Boston Herald, August 19, 1996 by Laura Beckham
Turning the Tables on TV Violence: Media Literacy Earns Praise, Critics on Helping Children Cope With What They See. The Washington Post, June 21, 1995 pF1 by Paul Farhi
A,B,C's of Media Literacy: Kids becoming active viewers. The Arizona Republic, May 25, 1996 pA39 by Knight-Ridder Newspapers
Compiled by:
Julie MacDonald and Nancy Martland
Web Development Team
Tufts University ©1999 All rights reserved.