TELEVISION AS TEACHER: STORYTELLING IN CHILDREN’S EDUCATIONAL MEDIA

Abstract

This content analysis seeks to uncover the relationship between the stories told in children’s educational media and the educational content they also include. Because media of this type have grown tremendously within the past decade while also become more readily availablefor the average consumer, this research most certainly has the potential to impact the lives of parents and teachers of young children. The present study involves analyzing quantitative data from 40 different episodes that represent a total of 10 children’s television shows, where we consider how well each episode tells its story in addition to how well it incorporates educational content throughout. This involves looking at the narrative structure, the characters present, the nature of the conflict, the degree of clarity given to the educational content, and the degree of separation between narrative and educational content. The results indicate that while children’s educational television episodes are effective in balancing engagement with education, there is a tendency for these shows to have a stronger emphasis on education than they do on engagement. With this in mind, the discussion focuses on the implications of this and revolves around how parents, teachers, and other stakeholders in the lives of young children might practically respond to these findings.