Children and television : a case study of "You and me" : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Masterate in Education at Massey University

Abstract

This thesis is in the area of children and television. Television viewing is an important but frequently overlooked aspect of pre-school children's socialisation. Contemporary research emphasises the relationship between children's cognitive development and their understanding of TV. This study argues that television viewing is an active cognitive transaction between the individual child, the programme, and the viewing environment. This case study research examined twelve pre-school children's responses, and those of their parents, to the New Zealand educational programme You And Me, screened on TV3 during 1992-93. Qualitative methodologies were utilized, in the broad tradition of family ethnography. The main aspects considered are attention to and comprehension of the programme; gender role socialisation; and language acquisition. It is argued that the role of parents is central to children's television viewing, especially through regulation and co-viewing.