Children's perceptions of television as a function of various modes of parental guidance.

This study focuses on perceptions of children (from ages 7 to 16) of attributes associated with television and the TV-watching experience. The dependent variables include children's evaluations of television as good or bad, whether they regard TV as educational, or as a varied source of programming, and whether they see themselves as careful users of the medium. Amount of television exposure was measured objectively (with TV program checklists) and subjectively (with self-reports). Four distinct types of parental guidance were identified for their likely effects on children's conceptions of television. These independent variables comprise imposing home rules regulating TV use, viewing with the children, talking about television, and providing advice about the programs children should or should not watch. Other intervening factors considered are the children's sex and age, and the parents' level of education and exposure to television (self-reported). Five research hypotheses describe how specific types of parental guidance are expected to influence children's television perceptions. The survey sample includes 126 children from grades 2 to 10; 82 parents constitute a subsample. The students were interviewed in their schools, and parents answered self-administered questionnaires. Results suggest that parental guidance behaviors are generally too "unfocused" to produce desired outcomes. Parents' reported watching with their children and encouraging them to view appropriate programs failed to alter children's conceptions, and talking about TV was effective only when educational shows were discussed. The types of rules parents were said to enforce did not operate in the manner predicted, although children who had rules adopted more critical attitudes toward television. Discouragements from watching objectionable shows also made children more critical, but parents' own viewing habits were not the models of behaviors and attitudes that had been anticipated. The children's age was found to relate to their television notions and to how parents guided their viewing, but not to the relationships established between guidance and perceptions. Parents' level of education was negatively associated with children's TV exposure, although it remained unrelated to guidance practices. The study's conclusions offer practical applications and recommendations for future research.Ph.D.Mass communicationDevelopmental psychologyIndividual and family studiesUniversity of Michiganhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/161909/1/8821563.pd