The Role of the Mass Media in Parenting Education. INSTITUTION Harvard Univ., Cambridge, MA
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DOCUMENT RESUME ED 433 082 PS 027 151 AUTHOR Simpson, A. Rae TITLE The Role of the Mass Media in Parenting Education. INSTITUTION Harvard Univ., Cambridge, MA. School of Public Health. SPONS AGENCY John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Chicago, IL. PUB DATE 1997-07-00 NOTE 83p.; A publication of the Center for Health Communication. AVAILABLE FROM Center for Health Communication, Harvard School of Public Health, 677 Huntington Ave., Suite 334, Boston, MA 02115; Tel: 617-432-1038; Fax: 617-731-8184; e-mail: [email protected] PUB TYPE Information Analyses (070) Reports Descriptive (141) EDRS PRICE MF01/PC04 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS Access to Information; *Child Caregivers; Child Rearing; Computer Software; Information Dissemination; Information Industry; Information Needs; Information Sources; Internet; Mass Media Effects; *Mass Media Role; Mass Media Use; Nonprint Media; *Parent Education; Popular Culture; *Television Research ABSTRACT Although there has been an explosion of information and advice about child rearing in the mass media, little attention has been given to the nature or extent of the media's impact on parents or to ways in which media could be used more effectively. Based on an analysis of books, magazines, newspapers, radio, television, film, videotapes, software, and the Internet, and interviews with over 200 key professionals in fields such as communication research, parent education, journalism, and public relations, this report identifies strengths and weaknesses in media coverage of parenting. The report first reviews historical and social forces that have produced the expanded media interest in parenting. Strengths in the media's role are then identified, including the following:(1) parenting is a staple topic in many print media;(2) parenting initiatives within electronic media are expanding;(3) parental demand for media information is substantial and increasing; and (4) media can have a significant impact. Identified weaknesses are then listed, including the following:(1) easily accessible sources of information for media on parenting are scarce and scattered; (2) media parenting advice is often confusing and conflicting;(3) parents of adolescents receive less information and support from media than parents of younger children; and (4) entertainment television has been overlooked as an influence on parenting and as a vehicle for supporting and informing parents. The report recommends that the knowledge base about parenting be strengthened by holding consensus-building conferences and that a comprehensive, integrated communications strategy be implemented to disseminate the emerging consensus about parenting in ongoing and targeted ways. Contains approximately 400 references. (KB) ******************************************************************************** * Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made * * from the original document. * ******************************************************************************** U S DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Office of Educational Research and Improvement EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) This document has been reproduced as eceived from the person or organization originating it Minor changes have been made to improve reproduction quality Points of view or opinions stated in this document do not necessarily represent official OERI position or policy a D ell A.go. - . -6 .6 . - D . - 6 PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE AND DISSEMINATE THIS MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) 1 BEST COPY AVAILABLE 2 About the Author A. Rae Goodell Simpson, Ph.D., is founder and head of the parenting educa- tion program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a consultant to the Center for Health Communication at the Harvard School of Public Health. Author of The Visible Scientists (Little, Brown, 1977), she has written and lectured extensively for both professional and popular audiences on the role of the mass media in communicating science and health information to the public. She recently co-founded a professional organization called the National Parenting Education Network to advance the field of parenting edu- cation. Her doctorate is in communication research from Stanford University. About the Center for Health Communication The Center for Health Communication of the Harvard School of Public Health works closely with scholars in the behavioral sciences and with practi- tioners in advertising, marketing, and public relations to learn more about human behavior and how to influence it through mass communication. The Center's mission is to help develop, legitimize, and institutionalize an emerg- ing field of endeavor in academic public health, namely mass communication and health. Jay A. Winsten, Ph.D., Associate Dean for Public and Community Affairs at the Harvard School of Public Health, is the Center's Director. Copyright © 1997 President and Fellows of Harvard College Permission is granted for the not-for-profit reproduction and distribution of this report or portions thereof, provided that (1) proper copyright notice is affixed to each copy, and (2) the Center is notified of such use. Recommended Citation: Simpson, A. Rae (1997). The Role of the Mass Media in Parenting Education. Boston: Center for Health Communication, Harvard School of Public Health. 3 The Role of the Mass Media in Parenting Education A. Rae Simpson, Ph.D. July 1997 A project of the Center for Health Communication Harvard School of Public Health Jay A. Winsten, Ph.D. Associate Dean and Center Director This project was supported by a grant from The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation 4 Preface The Center for Health Communication at the Harvard School of Public Health has as its mission to mobilize the immense power of mass communication to improve human health. Toward that end, the Center has engaged in a number of projects that apply state-of-the-art mass communication strategies to pro- vide the public with reliable health information and motivate the public to engage in positive behavior change. One of the Center's best known initiatives is the Designated Driver Campaign, which has promoted a social norm that "the driver does not drink," contribut- ing to a 30 percent decline in annual drunk driving fatalities. The more recent "Squash It!" Campaign to Prevent Youth Violence promotes a social norm that says it is "cool" to walk away from potentially violent confrontations; it is cur- rently being evaluated. A new initiative, the Harvard Mentoring Project, will use mass communication strategies to recruit volunteers to serve as mentors and tutors for at-risk youth. With additional projects in such areas as teen substance abuse and children's fitness and nutrition, the Center has maintained a consistent interest in the health and well-being of children and adolescents. Therefore, when Rae Goodell Simpson approached the Center to propose that we consider a project on parenting, the concept sparked considerable interest. Parents play a power- ful role in the lives of children and adolescents, yet the role of the media in motivating and informing parents seemed largely unexplored. The first step, however, was to examine the opportunities: what has been done so far, and what needs to be done next? Because these questions had rarely been asked, let alone answered, the Center undertook a project to inform not only its own work but also the field as a whole. The result is the following report, made possible by the support of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. It is our hope that this report will support the work of those currently engaged in reaching parents through the mass media, and that it will stimulate initiatives in new directions, toward the goal of tapping much more effectively the media's ability to support children, parents, and families. Jay A. Winsten, Ph.D., Associate Dean and Center Director Center for Health Communication Harvard School of Public Health July 1997 Contents Executive Summary iv Weaknesses in the Media's Role 32 Easily accessible sources Introduction 1 of information for the Background 6 media on parenting topics are scarce and scattered. 32 The Need 6 Parenting advice conveyed The Parenting Education by the media is often Movement 6 confusing and conflicting. 33 The Mass Media's Role 8 Parents of adolescents receive less information and Strengths in the Media's Role 11 support from the media than Parenting has become parents of younger children. 38 a staple among topics in many print media. 11 Entertainment television has been largely overlooked as Parenting initiatives a source of influence on within the electronic media parenting and as a vehicle are expanding. 14 for supporting and informing parents. The demand for media 43 information among parents Recommendations 48 is substantial and increasing. 23 Strengthen the knowledge base The preponderance of about parenting, in particular professional opinion, by holding consensus-building supported by theory and conferences. 48 research, is that the media, as part of a complex set Implement a comprehensive, of factors, can and do have integrated communications a significant impact on strategy to disseminate the parents and parenting. 27 emerging consensus about parenting in ongoing and targeted ways. 54 Conclusion 62 References 63 Acknowledgments 71 iv The Role of the Mass Media in Parenting Education Executive Summary With the persistence of grave problems for children in this country, attention has focused increasingly