DOCUMENT RESUME ED 216 796 PS 012 883 , AUTHOR, Dorr, Aie;me And Others . , , TITLE An Evaluation of NBC's 1980.81 Prosocial Children's . _ , Programming:.Drawing Power, Play Alongs, How to Watch TV. .. _INSTITUTION University of Southern california,J\ Los Angeles. Annenberg School of Communications. 'PUB DATE '13 May 81. NOTE 394p.' EDRS PRICE 2401/PC1 s Postage. DESCRIPXORS----- e Differences; *Childhood Attitudes; Children; *Childrens Television; Commercial Television; Consumer Education; *Instructkonal Materials; Intei-views; *Learning Activities; Pilot Projects; P?ogram Evaluation; *Progrithing (Broadcast); Questionnaires; Televition Research; *Television Viewing 'IDENTIFIERS National Broadcasting Company ABSTRACT Reported in this document are findings from an evaluation,of three kinds of'prosocial children's programming broadcasted by the NBC network.during.th 1980-81 season. The prosocial programmings evaluated were "Drawing Power," "Play Alongs," and 'How to Watch TV". The primary goals of the study, as stated by NBC,. were to evauate the appeal and impact of these programmings on young childw (ages 5 to 12,years), andto obt4n additional ideas About' prosocial programming for.the 1981-82 season. Following a brief intr4ductory overview of.the study, sections II, III, and IV present the results obtained for each of the above programmings. Each section begins by describing the pros6cial prog?amffiing being evaluated and the particular appeal,Pand impact of the programming addressed. This is.folloWed by a descriptioq of the method used, a presentation °of the.results, and a short summary. Section V of the report describes p4ot'research, conducted by the secopd author as a pilot'Ntudy.for her doctoral dissertation,*on how children think ana feel about prosocialprogramping. The reportends with a brief general ' discussion .of this studlos findings and their,importance for network Saturday Inorning.prosocial programming. Copies of the various instruments used to collect dpta are'included in appendices A'to N. (MP) )0:0 kb: , **A4****************************-*************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. .******Apc***********************************************i************ 111 U S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION. CENTER IERICI Ths document has been reprqduced as received from tht person or ' organi;ation originating it %Minor changes have been made to improve reproduction cptality Points of view orbpinions stated in this docu rent do not neCeSsanly represent official NfE posit."' or poky VA AN EVALUATION OF NBC'S 1980-81 PROSOCIAL CHILDREN'S PROGRAMMING:, DRAWING POWER PLAY ALONGS HOW TO WATCH TV A Submitted By Aimge Dorr, Catherine Doubleday, Peter-Kovaric, and Dale Kunkel Annenberg'School of Communications University of Southern California' "PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE THIS MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED HY ko \ mQe, Dori May 13, 1981 TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER(ERIC)" I- 9 19: ti p ( ta. //- ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Our research has been aided and abetted by many people. At NBC, Horst Stippwas always there to provide inforMatibn and guidance. Phyllis Tucker Vinson always answered questions, asked provocative ones herself; and, generously provided-help by her staff when necessary. Sam Ewing oversaw the taping of Drawing Power and Flintstones CoMedy Show episodes and sent us format information aboUt the Flintstones. Rebecca Weinstein related messages and materiel. Obviously, our work would have been more difficult without all this assistance. At the Annenberg School we were fortunate to obtain-constant_and -cheerful service from many people. Steve Brecht, Bill Darst, and Karen Stewart all helped arrange equipment, tape programming off,the air, and copy tapes.Carolyn Spicer also helped equipment in one or two emergencies. Robert Wang,:guided us through the financial bureaucracy maze at USC.- Janice Dorr, Kim Lakoduk, Amy Phillips, Larry Podell, Claudia Puig, and Homa Sardhar all served as able and dependable, research assistants. Finally, Agnes Uy served unstintingly with great competence and good humor as typist, copyist, collater, organizer, and everything else.Research would ne3erhave been conducted and a final report never transmitted to NBC without the contributions of all these people. Lastly, we most gratefully recognize the willing assistance provided by so many children, siblings, parents, parent surrogates, principals, directors, teichers,.afterschoolcare staff, secretaries, and custodians. Their participation made it possible to recruit participants, to find space in which to conduct the research itself, and/or to have data to analyze.0 9 6 We obviOusly cannot name,everyone who helped us in these ways, but we would like to acknowledge the directors, principals, and head teachers of the several places in which we conducted the research and /or from which we recruited research participants: Georgette Alling, Bertram Ashe, Mark thou, Arlene Glassner:Margaret Jones, and Marx Stilwell. Without them we could notalave gotten even to first base in the evaluations. 0 TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgments ii JL . r .List of Tables viii List of-FigUres xiii Executive Summary xiv a I. Introduction 1. II. Drawing Power *5 Method 7 Participants 7 Procedures 10 Stimuli 14 a Instruments 16 Results 18 Appeal 18 18 - Appeal of the series . OC Appeal of the segments 25 Appeal af the format 27 Impact. 31 Learning.cofttent 31't New content 41 \, Where ideas presented . ... , . 43 , .Aaceptance of ideas ....... .. 46 Who ideas pod for 51- 57 Children's Suggested Improvements tbe 1110 Conclusions 510 r Play 'Alongs 69 Method 71 Participants Procedures 75 4 Stimuli 79 I ` Instruments 7"9 Data Reduction r 81 .83 Results . .. ..... , Appeal Loss of attention 84 Switching the channel 89 Attracting attention 9 9 Attention to 'each Play Along 93 Liking types of programming 'Liking of each Play Along . 99 Responses while viewing 102 Summary 107 Impact .. 107 Participation while viewing . .,. Recall . :8.. 109 Participation while not viewing . ;110: Interest in future participation . : 115 Summary . 117 ... Effects of Viewing Frequency and Parental OpiniOn - 120 , ,Viewing frequency and appeal . ]21 128 1 Viewing, frequency and impact Observer opinioris 128 Observer opinion and appeal.... 131 ; ,. Observer opinion and impact 134 Sumiary 136 , Problems and,Improvements 136 . Pace- .137 Availability of Materials, :141 Distinguishable as program elements . 143 Observer evaluations and 'suggested improvements .. 148 Summary 150 'COnclubions 153 1 n. EV. How to Watch TV 163 , . I . Method . ,. 164 . , Participants 165 \ PracedureS ' 165 Stimuli 166 Instruments 167 Results 168 Recall 168 Recognition of Main Points 175 Evaluations of the Drop-In's Messages . 177 Application of the Drop-In's Messages,. 178 Conclusions 182 V. ,How Children Think and' Feel Abott4Prosocial Programming: A Pilot Study .184 Method 485 A Results '187 Concepts of Prosocial Programming 187 Learning From and EmotionalResponses to Family Shows and Children'sSpecials . 201 Learning From and EmotionalResponses to Short:Segments in ProsocialShows 217 Conclusions 't 227 VI. Implications for Prosocial programming . r . 33 ReferenOes 241 . e Footnotes 1 242 a , AppendiCes A. Pdtticipant Recruitment Drawing Power r 1 and How to Watch TV 245 B. Segments Comprising Drawing Power, How to Watch TV, and Fat Albert Tapes ; 229 C. Researcher's Text and Child's Responses Sheet for Day 4Questionnaire Abt Drawing Power and How to Watch TV 251 D. Researche'r's Texts dnd Child's Responses for Day 5 Questionnaire About Drawing Power and, How to Watch TV 259 E. Researcher's_Text.for Day 4 Interview About Drawing Power and How to Watci TV 284 F. Researcher's Text for Day 5 Interview About Drdwing Power r 286 C. Participant Aecruitment for Play Alongs 291- H. Observer Information for Home Observations of Children's Viewing of Play Along6 . 295 I 1. -I. <Activity Sh t Used by Family Observers for , Florae Obse ation of Children's V4wing of Play Along& 302 T. Children's Questionnaire About Play Alongs t Administered by Observers 313 - . K. Observer's Self-Administered QuestiOnnaireAbout Play Alongs 325 L. Coding System for Play Along Activity Sheets . '330 M. CothTents from Family Observers about Play Alongs-. 340 N. Researcher's Questionnaire for Pilot Study About, How Children.Think4and Feel About Prosocial Programming . 355 r t vii 1 a LIST OF TABLES 7 Page 11-'1 Drawing Power Sample 8 A II- 2 Drawing Power Episodes Viewed and Tested 15. '11- 3 Rated Appaal of Drawing Power 19 a.1- 4 Appeal ok Drawing Power Compared to Other Program 21 IF: 5 .Estimated Appeal of.Drawing Power for Other Children 23 II- 6 Rated Appeal of Drawing Power Segments 2.6 II- 7 Appeal of Drawing Power's Characteristics 28 . x II- 81: RecOgnition of Megsages,lniDrawing Power Segments . 33 II- 9 Rec4.1 bf Drawing Power Messages Two Days After Viewing It . 35 II-10: Recall of Mesgageg from Drawing'Power Segments Two Days After Viewing It 41- II7-11 Recall of Drawing Power" Messages Right After Viewing It . 39 11-12 Recall of Messages from Drawing Power Segments RightlAfter Viewing It 11-13 New Ideas ReportedLearned from Drawing Power -42 11,14 .Sample of New Ideas Reported Learned from Drawing .Power. .. ..44 11-15 Perceived SoUrceg of Ideas (Measured by Multiple Choice" Item=in Questionnaire) s . 45 4 4 11 -16 Perceived SOurces of Ideas (Measured by Open- and Closed-. Ended Items in