Describes a study of 301 undergraduates which was designed to determine their motives for watching soap operas. Responses to a questionnaire were analyzed to determine perceived gratifications and consequences of viewing. Convergence of motives was studied, and the diversity of motives and resultant implications for subgroup analyses were also…

This study was carried out to examine the issue of whether discipline-derived economics courses enhance student societal understanding. News and current affairs programs on Melbourne television throughout 1986 were surveyed, and the economic concepts and issues involved were examined. Of the 125 programs that comprised the sample, 90 (72%) were…

Interviews conducted with 31 older, retired adults in Dortmund, West Germany, concerning their use of cable television and its effect on their everyday lives are the focal point of this qualitative study. Also discussed is a quantitative study of a larger sample of German citizens over age 14 in the same geographic area before cable television was…

A study was conducted to determine the place of cable in the lives of subscribers and its perception among nonsubscribers. Subjects, 251 subscribers and 246 nonsubscribers in a northeastern city midway in the process of cable diffusion, responded to a number of questions concerning their recreational activities, sources of information about cable,…

Swedish consumer use of video recording equipment and software was surveyed through interviews with 10,700 people; the interviews were conducted by the field research staff of the Swedish Broadcasting Corporation's Audience and Programme Research Department between December 1981 and April 1982. The study focused on possession (ownership, leasing,…

This study investigated several questions concerning the amount of viewing and types of programs children and parents watch alone and together. Patterns of children's viewing with and without parents were examined, as well as how parent-child coviewing affects individual family members' viewing. Children 3 to 5 and 5 to 7 years old, and their…

This report documents the first year of a 3-year evaluation which was designed to (1) determine the status of small-format (1/2" reel-to-reel, 3/4" U-Matic, 1/2" VHS, and 1/2" Beta) videotape in the schools; (2) reveal what impact such videotape has on educational television utilization; and (3) examine the distribution of…

This study examined the portrayal of eight specific behaviors in prime time television in general, and on those television shows preferred by 1,042 children in preschool through grade 6 who were surveyed to determine their favorite television shows, books, and school subjects. Researchers examined prime time television programs for a period from…

Describes a 1981 study that compared uses of U.S. television by foreign children residing in the United States and American children in light of theories of acculturation, cultivation, and uses and gratifications. Children's television viewing is discussed, research methodology is described, and results are analyzed. (22 references) (Author/LRW)

Describes a study of media deprivation which analyzed data on 215 adolescents collected during a Swedish television strike in 1980. Notions of dependency/affinity with the medium, functional alternatives to media consumption, and motives for using television were investigated. (MBR)

A five-study evaluation assessed the appeal of Over Easy to its target group and its effectiveness in meeting stated objectives. Aimed at viewers over the age of 55, the daily, half-hour magazine-format program produced by KQED-TV San Francisco, is intended to inform them, encourage positive attitudes about aging, and encourage interaction among…

The Search for Solutions (SFS) film series has been a popular and important component of many school science programs ranging from elementary to college level. Phillips Petroleum Corporation, funding agent for the SFS, reported that by 1984 some 26,000 schools, 83 percent of all public and private schools, had used the series. In addition, some 84…

Adults' responses to a survey of television viewing were investigated to examine the premise that respondents assume that the range of precoded response alternatives reflects the researcher's knowledge of the distribution of opinions or behaviors in the population. Responses are, therefore, a function of the response alternatives provided.…