Date Approved

6-19-1996

Embargo Period

9-4-2016

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

M.S. in Teaching

Department

Interdisciplinary and Inclusive Education

College

College of Education

Advisor

Robinson, Randall

Subject(s)

Social interaction in children; Violence on television

Disciplines

Elementary Education and Teaching

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between the amount of antisocial and aggressive television shows a child views and the occurrence of negative social interactions in which that child is involved while under school supervision. One hundred 2nd, 3rd, and 4th graders in a southern New Jersey school district were given television viewing questionnaires to take home and fill out with their parents. Upon completion, the questionnaires were scored according to the child's habit of watching specific television shows targeted with violent content. Each student's teacher then rated the frequency of the child's antisocial or aggressive behaviors in the classroom. A Pearson r was conducted for the total population (n=100), for the subgroup of the population found having the habit of watching the targeted antisocial and aggressive television shows (n=40), and for the subgroup of the population found not to have the habit of watching the targeted shows (n=60). The relationships between television habits and observations of the teachers regarding the frequency of negative social interactions for each child were found to be significant for the first two of these groups. Further studies were encouraged.

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