Studying School: Depictions of Education on the Disney Channel
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STUDYING SCHOOL: DEPICTIONS OF EDUCATION ON THE DISNEY CHANNEL Christa E. Weaver A Thesis Submitted to the University of North Carolina Wilmington in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts Department of English University of North Carolina Wilmington 2012 Approved by Advisory Committee Katie Peel Lauren Squires Colleen Reilly Chair Accepted by ______________________________ Dean, Graduate School TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT .....................................................................................................................................v ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ............................................................................................................. vi LIST OF TABLES ........................................................................................................................ vii INTRODUCTION ...........................................................................................................................1 Overview ..............................................................................................................................1 Television’s Significance .....................................................................................................1 Disney’s Impact ...................................................................................................................4 Education as a Focus ............................................................................................................5 METHODOLOGY ..........................................................................................................................7 Overview of Content Analysis .............................................................................................7 Benefits Outweigh Drawbacks ..........................................................................................11 Sample................................................................................................................................13 Coding Scheme ..................................................................................................................15 RESULTS ......................................................................................................................................17 Attitudes toward the School System ..................................................................................17 Instances of Learning .........................................................................................................23 Characterizations of Educators ..........................................................................................27 Characterizations of Academic-minded Students ..............................................................34 Combined Portrayals of the School System.......................................................................38 DISCUSSION ................................................................................................................................39 Negative Representations...................................................................................................39 Learning is Largely Unnecessary.......................................................................................41 iii Limitations .........................................................................................................................43 Ramifications .....................................................................................................................45 CONCLUSIONS............................................................................................................................49 LITERATURE CITED ..................................................................................................................52 APPENDIX ....................................................................................................................................60 iv ABSTRACT Television is ubiquitous, and it is consistently shaping people’s perceptions of reality. The Disney Channel, a popular television station, is one faction of the multimedia giant, Disney. This company constantly sends messages to the consumers via its products. Therefore, I examined four Disney Channel series—Wizards of Waverly Place, The Suite Life on Deck, Phineas and Ferb, and A.N.T. Farm—to investigate how “reality” was portrayed by these fictional shows. Specifically, I focused on analyzing the portrayal of education—a common theme on the Disney Channel. I performed content analysis on 55 Disney Channel episodes that aired between January 2010 and January 2012. Each series chosen targeted middle-school-aged children because I wanted to examine the messages children were being sent about the school system while they were still a part of the school system. When analyzing these series, I coded for characters’ attitudes towards the school system, any instances of learning, and the characterizations of educators and academic-minded students. My findings indicate that these Disney Channel series portray a pessimistic view of the school system. Negative attitudes toward the school system, and those who promote what the institution stands for, outweigh the positives 309:40. Additionally, learning takes place more frequently outside of the school system than inside of it; though, it is rarely seen in these series. Therefore, if television truly shapes the way individuals view reality, then the educational system is under attack. These Disney Channel series are giving impressions that school is not an important institution, educators are inept at doing their jobs, students who value academics are destined to have a low social standing, and learning is more frequently accomplished outside of school. v ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to thank my committee. First of all, I want to offer a big thanks to my thesis advisor, Dr. Colleen Reilly, who guided me with encouragement, patience, and timely feedback. Her consistent affirmation concerning my research kept my excitement for this project alive and thriving. Also, I would like to thank Dr. Katie Peel and Dr. Lauren Squires for the different perspectives they brought to my research. Their input helped mold my findings into a well- rounded study. Also, special thanks go to my family and friends for their support and encouragement. I could not have done finished this project without them. vi LIST OF TABLES Table Page 1. Episodes Coded and Series Air Dates ................................................................................13 2. Positive Attitudes toward the School System on the Disney Channel...............................18 3. Negative Attitudes toward the School System on the Disney Channel .............................18 4. Positive Views of the School System ................................................................................19 5. Negative Views of the School System ...............................................................................21 6. Learning that Takes Place because of the School System .................................................24 7. Learning that Takes Place Outside of the School System .................................................24 8. Positive Portrayals of Educators ........................................................................................28 9. Negative Portrayals of Educators.......................................................................................30 10. Positive Portrayals of Students Who Value Academics ....................................................34 11. Negative Portrayals of Students Who Value Academics ...................................................36 12. Culmination of the Portrayals of the School, Educators, and Students Who Assign Value to Academics ......................................................................................................................39 13. Full Results: Negative Views Presented by the Disney Channel about the School System .. ............................................................................................................................................65 14. Full Results: Positive Portrayals of Educators ...................................................................66 15. Full Results: Negative Portrayals of Educators .................................................................67 16. Full Results: Positive Portrayals of Students Who Value Academics ...............................68 17. Full Results: Negative Portrayals of Students Who Value Academics .............................69 vii STUDYING SCHOOL: DEPICTIONS OF EDUCATION ON THE DISNEY CHANNEL INTRODUCTION Overview According to Robert Butche, the media is successful at playing into America’s consumer- based society. He states that media sell physical products, as well as ideas, beliefs, and social and cultural values (para. 6). Currently, the Walt Disney Company is one of the top multimedia companies in America (Butche para. 5), owning media networks, parks, resorts, studio entertainment, and consumer products (“Company Overview” para. 1). Consequently, Disney is constantly disseminating particular ideas, beliefs, and values to the consumers of its products, influencing people’s views about reality. Therefore, examining Disney’s presentation of reality is imperative to forming a better understanding of society as a whole. Since the educational system1 is a foundational part of American society and a frequent hot-topic in the media