The effect of television on the socialization of children in Brisbane, Australia
Date
1970
Authors
Jones, Jennifer Mary
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Abstract
This thesis studies the socializing effect of television on a group of 228 Australian children in Grades Six, Eight and Nine in Brisbane, Australia. Using a questionnaire as an instrument of measurement, we examined the network of relationships between the child and parents, teachers and peers as direct socializing agents, and television as an indirect socializing agent.
The main concern was the interaction process between the child and the socializing agents, interaction being a necessary condition for learning. It was hypothesized that the effect of television would depend upon the meaningful interaction between the child and his socializing agents. If there is lack of such interaction, television may have more effect. Further, it was hypothesized that learning from television would depend on whether the child perceives the content of television to be real or not.
A secondary objective of this thesis concerns the extent to which violence viewed on television may affect the child.
Factor Analysis was employed to analyze emerging patterns of relationships among 30 variables chosen. Chi Square tests were used to examine the nominal content of learning and a frequency distribution was used for descriptive purposes.
The findings showed that lack of parental concern was related to lack of rules about watching television as well as the child's preference for TV parents rather than own parents. Also it was found that children who watched more violence programmes tended to be the ones who had poor relations with peers and teachers.
These findings together would suggest that where there is lack of positive interaction between the child and his parents, teachers and peers, the child may turn to television, particularly the more violent programmes, as if to satisfy his unfulfilled needs by heavy viewing of violence.
Further, we found those children who perceived TV programmes to be real tended to learn from television and to imitate what they had seen on TV. This suggests that if the child perceives reality in TV he will be incorporating this reality into the self.
The specific content of learning, we noted, was related to occupational status. Material values, for example, were more likely learned by children coming from the lower and middle occupational ranks.
With regard to violence, we have noted already that the amount of violence viewed was related to poor relations with peers and teachers. Our data also showed that boys tended to watch more violence and appeared to be less bothered than girls.