DOCUMENT RESUME ED 036 205 56 EM 007 856 AUTHOR HCDGKINSCN, ANTHONY W. TITLE AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE PRACTICE OF SCREEN EDUCATION. THE INTRODUCTION OF FILMS AND TELEVISION INTO EDUCATION AS AN ESSENTIAL AREA OF STUDY,PHASE I. FINAL REPORT. INSTITUTION NORTH READING PUBLIC SCHOOLS, MASS. SPONS AGENCY OFFICE Of EDUCATION (DHEW), WASHINGTON, D.C. BUREAU OF RESEARCH. BUREAU NO BR-6-1535 PUB DATE FEB 70 GRANT 0EG-1-7061535-5245 NOTE 349P. EDRS PRICE EDRS PRICE MF-40.50 FIC.-$17.55 DESCRIPTORS ENGLISH INSTRUCTION, *FILM PRODUCTION, *FILMSTUDY, OPERATING ENGINEERING, PROGRAM EVALUATION,*PUBLIC SCHOOLS, RELEVANCE (EDUCATION), SEIF CONCEPT ABSTRACT A VARIETY CF SCREEN EDUCATION COURSESWERE DESIGNED, IMPLEMENTED, AND EVALUATED IN A PUBLIC SCHOOLSYSTEM. SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES OF THE COURSES WERE TO TEACHSCREEN EDUCATION TOGETHER WITH ENGLISH SKILLS AND SUBJECT MATTER,TO TEACH FILM PRODUCTION TO INTERESTED STUDENTS, TO TEACd ABOUT MEDIAOPERATION AND PERFORMANCE, AND TO DEMONSTRATE THAT MEDIA COULD PROVIDEMORE RELEVANT APPROACHES TO SOCIAL QUESTICNS. SUBJECTS WERE SELF-SELECTEDPUBLIC SCHOOL STUDENTS, AND WERE FOUND TC BE SIGNIFICANTLYLESS CAPABLE THAN THEIR PEERS. BECAUSE OF THIS NATURE OF THEEXPERIMENTAL GROUP, A CENTRAL AIM OF THE PROJECT WAS CONSIDERED TO BETO DEVELOP STUDENT SELF-KNOWLEDGE AND AWA,dENESS. FINDINGS FROMEVALUATIONS OF STUDENTS, COMMUNITY AND STAFF EVALUATIONS CF THE PROJECT,EVALUATIONS OF THE COURSES TAUGHT, AND A CRITICAL EVALUATIONOF THE EQUIPMENT USED SUPPORTED THE MAJORITY OF THE OBJECTIVESFORMULATED FOR THE INVESTIGATION. (AUTHOR/SP) U.S. DEPARIMINI 01 KAM EDUCATION b WINK OFFICE OF EDUCATION THIS DOCUMENI HAS DIEN REPRODUCED EXACTLY AS RECEIVED FROM THE PERSON OR ORGANIZATION ORIGINAIING IT.POINTS OF VIEW OR OPINIONS STATED DO NOT NECESSARILY REPRESENT OFFICIAL OFFICE OF EDUCATION POSITION OR POLICY. FINAL REPORT Project No. 6-1535 Grant No'. OEG-1-7-061535-5245 AN INVESTIGATIONINTO THE PRACTICE OFSCREEN EDUCATION Anthony W. Hodgkinson North Reading PublicSchools North Reading, Mass. 01864 February 1970 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH,EDUCATION ANDWELFARE Office of Education Bureau of Research FINAL REPORT Project No. 6-1535 Grant No. OEG-1-7-061535-5245 AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE PRACTICE OF SCREEN EDUCATION (The introduction of films and television into edu- cation as an essential area of study) (PHASE I) Anthony W. Hodgkinson North Reading Public Schools North Reading, Massachusetts September 1, 1969 The research reported herein was performed pursuant to a grant from the Office of Education, U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare. Contractors undertaking such projects under Government sponsorship are encouraged to express freely their professional judgment in the con- duct of the project. Points of view or opinions stated do not, therefore, necessarily represent official Office of Education position or policy. U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, EDUCATION AND WELFARE Office of Education, Bureau of Research CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS SUMMARY 1 CHAPTERS I. PURPOSE, SCOPE, AND PROCEDURE OF THE PROJECT 14 II. THE MILIEU FOR THE PROJECT 36 III. SCREEN EVALUATION COURSES: DESCRIPTIONS AND EVALUATIONS FOR YEAR I (1967-68) 53 IV. SCREEN EDUCATION COURSES: DESCRIPTIONS AND EVALUATIONS FOR YEAR II (1968-69) 94 V. SCREEN EDUCATION COURSE: DESCRIPTION AND EVALUATION OF A SPECIAL PROJECT AT NORTH READING JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL (1967-69) 127 VI. EVALUATION OF THE STUDENTS IN THE SCREEN EDUCATION PROGRAM 146 VII. STUDENT COMMENTARY 191 VIII. THE PROJECT'S EQUIPMENT 209 IX. THE PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR'S COMMENTARY AND ASSESSMENT 221 ii Page APPENDICES A.--The Philosophy of Screen Education A- 1 B .--The Screen Language: Its Vocabulary and Conventions A-11 C.--Screen Education Practice: A Partial Bibliography A-14 D.--Data on North Reading, Massachusetts, Schools A-18 E .--Student Enrollment in Screen Education Courses: 1967-68 and 1968-69 . A-22 F.--A Parent's Reactions.. A-23 G.--TV Questionnaire, as Prepared by a 1968-69 Communications Class . A-24 H.--Comments from Arthur Kenney . A-31 J.--Comments from Kilburn Culley A-33 K.--Report by Alice Hecht on her Teaching Practice A-34 L.--Equipment List A-41 M.--16mm Films Used During the Project A-43 N.--Bibliography of Books on Films and Tele- vision in the Library at the North Reading Senior High School A-48 O. -- Visitors to the North Reading, Massachusetts, Screen Education Project A-52 P .--Dissemination Activities A-61 Q.--"T.E.A.M." Comparisons of the Project Stu- dents and the Total School Population (Sophomore to Senior Years) A-65 R.--Student Evaluation Questionnaire A-69 S .--Tabulations of Answers to the Student Evaluation Questionnaire A-72 T.--Student Self-knowledge Scale A-75 U.--Summary of HSPQ Categories A-84 V.--Differences Between the Experimental and the Control Groups A-86 W.--Experimental and Control Groups Scores . A-91 X.--Accounts of an Exchange of Classes Between English and Screen Education A-93 iii THIS REPORT IS DEDICATEDTO THE STUDENTS OF THE NORTH READING SCHOOLS, 1964 TO 1969. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS We believe in all sincerity that Phase I of the Pro- ject (a screen education demonstrationat North Reading High School, North Reading, Massachusetts) combined withthe ensuing Report and Phase II of the Project (envisionedas a seminar) will substantially achieve the overall objectives of the Project. We are, indeed, grateful to both the U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, Office of Education, Bureau of Research, and to the communityof North Reading, Massachusetts, for the unique opportunityafforded us to conduct this investigation. The Project Team Anthony W. Hodgkinson Principal Investigator Assistant Professor of Film School of Public Communication Boston University Boston, Massachusetts David J. Powell Project Director Robert 0. Ball (1968-69) Teachers Susan Carley (1967-68) Charles McVinney (1968-69) Joseph Poire (1967) v John Cloninger Research Director Kenneth Garni (1968-69) Research Assistant Carolyn Elston (1967-68) Secretaries Margaret Starrett (1968-69) Consultants Dr. Louis P. Aikman, Associate Professor, School of Education, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts. Dr. Jane Anne Hannigan, Associate Professor, School of Library Science, Simmons College, Boston, Massachusetts. Ronald E. Polito, Assistant Professor of Film, School of Public Communication, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts. We are greatly indebted to the North Reading School Committee for their foresight and courage in providing the North Reading School System as a site for this project. We are especially grateful to Dr. Albert L. Benson, Jr., Superintendent of Schools, North Reading, Massachusetts, for his continued kindness, cooperation, and support. As will be seen, a great number of people--adminis- trators, faculty, staff, students, and others--contributed to the Project while it was in progress. But its all- important inception was due to the inspiration and efforts vi of one man in particular, Abraham J. Cohen (now Audio-visual Consultant, Public Schools, White Plains, New York). I would like to take this opportunity to thank him for his aid and friendshir. vii SUMMARY Purpose and Objectives of the Screen Education Project The primary purpose of this investigationwas to design and implement a variety ofscreen education courses in a public school system andto evaluate such courses in terms of their effects upon the students whoparticipated. The Screen Education Project (Phase I--1967-69),located at North Reading High School, North Reading,Massachusetts, demonstrated that the tenets and methods ofscreen education can be applied in a controlled situation andcan provide a planned opportunity for educatorsto observe, discuss, and to evaluate the work accomplished inthis project. The specific objectives of the project studywere: 1. To provide screen education forthe selected children of North Reading, Massachusetts. 2. To familiarize educators withthe principles and methods of screen education, by observingit actually taking place. 1 3. To evaluate the efficacy of screen education methods in developing: a. creative work in all forms of communication; b. discriminating consumers of popular art. 4. To determine which methods of screen education are most likely to produce the above results. 5. To ensure the continuance of research into, and discussion of, screen education work on a national and international scale. Methodology and Evaluation of the Project The design of the courses was formulated on the bases of Project Staff experience and available data. The Project Staff decided to approach the stated objectives in four main ways: 1. To teach screen education together with English skills and subject matter. 2. To teach film production to those students who were interested in such a skill. 3. To teach about the media and to seek to under- stand how they operate and perform best. 2 4. To demonstratethat the media could provide opportunities to approachsocial questions ina way that provided more immediacy,relevancy, and involvementthan the more traditional courses offered inthe social studiesarea. Thus, four courseswere developed for Year I(1967- 68) witha total student enrollment of 190(22.3 per cent of the student population),and threecourses were given in Year II (1968-69) witha total student enrollment of 210 (25.06 per cent ofthe student population). During the first year of the Project,the followingcourses were taught: Fundamentals of Film:Designed to grow out ofa close study of thenature of the film mediumand related literary forms andcorrelated with ninth-gradeEnglish