University of Central Florida STARS Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2004-2019 2011 The Portrayal Of Teen Pregnancy In The Tv Series "the Secret Life Of The American Teenager" Erin Lovell University of Central Florida Part of the Communication Commons Find similar works at: https://stars.library.ucf.edu/etd University of Central Florida Libraries http://library.ucf.edu This Masters Thesis (Open Access) is brought to you for free and open access by STARS. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2004-2019 by an authorized administrator of STARS. For more information, please contact
[email protected]. STARS Citation Lovell, Erin, "The Portrayal Of Teen Pregnancy In The Tv Series "the Secret Life Of The American Teenager"" (2011). Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2004-2019. 2075. https://stars.library.ucf.edu/etd/2075 THE PORTRAYAL OF TEEN PREGNANCY IN THE TV SERIES “THE SECRET LIFE OF THE AMERICAN TEENAGER” by ERIN LOVELL B.S., Stetson University, 2008 A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Communication in the Nicholson School of Communication in the College of Sciences at the University of Central Florida Orlando, Florida Spring Term 2011 © Erin Lovell 2011 ii ABSTRACT The aim of the current study was to investigate the way teen pregnancy is portrayed in Seasons 1 and 2 of the television drama The Secret Life of the American Teenager. Framing theory and social cognitive theory were used as guiding frameworks for exploring the way the main character’s pregnancy was presented and the way this presentation may influence the ideas and behaviors of viewers.