Observes that research has shown a curvilinear relationship between education and media effects, with media having the greatest effect on people with moderate levels of education. Examines the effects of public service messages about recycling, and finds that the messages actually have greater impact on people with higher levels of education. (DSK)

Examines five versions of the Cinderella story. Argues that children's fairy tale drama presents female beauty as a moral absolute, not merely as a physical characteristic. Cites feminist theories of the female body to demonstrate ways in which fairy tale drama establishes female beauty as an unchanging, "universal" concept. Considers…

Describes an extension of dialog journals, audience journals. States that, with the advent of e-mail, English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) students can send their journals to an "E-partner," and they can also make meaning by summarizing their E-partners' journal entries which are sent to both E-partner and instructor. Suggests that this…

Considers what people like about college radio web sites and why people use them. Provides a starting point for examining the reasons people use college radio sites. Concludes that most audiences' uses of college radio sites are entertainment oriented, however, there is an indication that people use media-based Web sites for the social integration…

Examines two recent films--"Scent of a Woman" and "Strictly Ballroom"--that project stereotypical negative portrayals of educational institutions and their limited capacity for reform. Both films bring their audiences to view educational institutions as worthy of destruction and, by focusing on "quick fixes," fail to address the difficulties of…

According to recent research studies, watching television has become the number one leisure activity among both children and adults. The effect of excessive television viewing on the cognitive development of children is reported. Solutions and suggestions for parents and teachers to help children integrate television into their lives in the most…

Studies five preschoolers' response to four genres of picture books: fantasy, realistic, poetic, and information. Finds (1) distinct patterns of response for each genre; and (2) personal associations to the characters, events, images, and topics seemed to form the basis for interpretation. (NH)

Research suggests that the educational value of a media format depends upon the ways in which its representational affordances interact with complex features of the learning environment, including learner characteristics, content domains, pedagogical strategies, and cognitive and social processes. In the current study, we sought to understand some…

A community college teacher emphasizes the dynamic aspects of language correctness and helps his students understand that achieving correctness is not simply a matter of following a set of rules. His students write letters and speeches in which they demonstrate the relationships among language, power, purpose, and audience.

The author admits that he has watched Jerry Springer on occasion. It is a guilty pleasure. The Springer show has come to represent the extremes in the society--perversion, unlikely pairings, lying, and cheating. Liberal Hollywood has been roundly criticized, and justifiably so, over the direction it has taken with much of the entertainment to the…

Purpose: The purpose of the current study is to assess some of the self-reported factors that students in the study used as choice criteria in making their school selection. Design/methodology/approach: The results of this study were obtained by conducting a series of focus groups involving incoming freshmen at a small liberal arts university…

Two years after the first low-cost radio-frequency audience response system using clickers was introduced for college classrooms, at least six different systems are on the market. Their features and user-friendliness are evolving rapidly, driven by competition and improving technology. The proliferation of different systems is putting pressure on…

An undergraduate course at the University of South Florida called "Relationships on Film" treats movies as relationship texts to be "read" by active viewers. Through the semester, students engage film in two ways. First, they interpret films as response papers. Each week, students watch the assigned film outside of class. Then…

This adaptation of the "Three Little Pigs" story is suitable for performance in elementary grades, especially around Halloween. The story comes with step-by-step directions for how to dramatize the action for maximum audience participation and response and with suggestions for optional learning activities that can be used with the story.…

A pilot study surveyed radio broadcasters in Arkansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Texas to further an understanding of their role as gatekeepers for public service announcements (PSA) to educate audiences about AIDS and bring about "safe" behavior. A total of 300 stations were in the sample. Respondents were asked to provide information…