Agents of Socialization
301
Taking Issue Read the brief introduction below, as well as the Question and the pros and cons list that follows. Then, answer the question using your own words and position.
The Influence of Television Television is a fixture in almost every home; its influence is so pervasive that it has been called another parent. Because most children spend more time watching television than attending school, debate continues over television’s effect on student learning and behavior.
Question Does television’s influence on students generally benefit the teacher? (Think about this question as you read the PRO and CON arguments listed here. What is your response to this issue?) Arguments CON
Arguments PRO 1. Television enriches students’ background knowledge so that they can understand much instruction more readily. Teachers who take advantage of what students already have learned from television can accelerate subject matter presentation.
1. Most often, the information that students gain from television is a superficial collection of facts, not useful background knowledge. Moreover, television may delude students into thinking that these scattered facts represent genuine understanding.
2. In addition to providing useful information, television awakens interest in a wide range of topics. Teachers can draw on the interests that television arouses and involve students more deeply in many parts of the curriculum.
2. Television viewing creates mental habits that teachers must try to counteract. Although television may provoke a fleeting interest in a topic, it accustoms students to learning through passive impressions rather than thoughtful analysis. In addition, extensive television viewing by children is associated with a reduced attention span.
3. Television assists teachers by making learning palatable at an early age. Programs such as Sesame Street have increased student achievement in the early years by showing children that learning can be fun.
3. Early exposure to “fun” learning often raises false expectations about school. The teacher cannot be as entertaining as Big Bird. The need to compete with such television shows makes the teacher’s job more difficult.
4. Television provides a catharsis for feelings of hostility and anger. Children who watch television dramas can work out potentially violent impulses that might otherwise be directed at classmates, parents, or teachers.
4. Research on modeling indicates that many children, confronted with a situation parallel to one they have seen on television, respond with the same behavior used by the television characters. In other words, violent television programs often encourage violent behavior.
5. Television can provide a good socializing experience. Research has shown that programs such as Sesame Street can increase cooperative behavior among children. Furthermore, many children’s shows offer their viewers a welcome relief from the world of adults.
5. For every Sesame Street, dozens of television programs tend to alienate children from the values of the school and the wider society. For example, some programs reinforce negative peer attitudes toward social institutions; some present simplistic or distorted notions of right and wrong; and many encourage dangerous fantasies.
Question Reprise: What Is Your Stand? Reflect again on the following question by explaining your stand about this issue: Does television’s influence on students generally benefit the teacher?
achievement scores. It is difficult to separate cases in which television causes reduced attention to reading from those in which low-performing students turn to television for escape. Nevertheless, many educators are concerned that use of television and other media may lower achievement for many students, particularly because surveys
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