Does Television Viewing Affect Academic Performance
The insights and understanding about of this study will serves as reference to the behavior of 4th and 5th graders of Mill Creek Intermediate School watching television and its relationship to their academic performance. The approach conducted to come up with the resolutions for this topic was made through survey method. The sample size used to acquire data of the normal percent of the group was 50 respondents for 4th graders and 50 respondents for 5th graders. The equal number size of respondents for this survey will be able to compare the subject level of differences and rationalization of the selective topic.
To acquired weighing result for this paper, the following determining factors were used for this survey: the profile of respondent, the program watched, duration of television viewing, and the timeslot usually watched in television. For evaluating the academic performance, the overall grade, grade per subject and overall performance in school was considered. Impression for this topic will answer the reader’s interest of the school age behavior towards their study and leisure moments by watching television. Data Television is one of the powerful tools of the generation.
It was invented to give entertainment, to educate and delivers information of the things around us. Television carries message through variety of programs that evolves significant impression to the viewer’s way of life. For children, television is a mechanism that creates connection to their personal and social values at home and with their environment. Children also can rely on the as parents guidance in the program content they were watching. It explained that children were able to acquire learning through adults. Wherein, adults can define the level of literacy in providing right topics to be discussed for the children (Media Form, 2007).
Through television, the audio-visual interpretation operates to psychological impact obtaining the high degree of recall acquired from the message being watched and it was cited in Psychological Operations Field Manual No. 33-1(1979) and Psychological Operations (PSYOP) Media Sub course PO-0816 (1983). The medium communication delivers to the viewers give impressions to what the personality that a child could be acquired and learned. As Dimitri Christakis cites studies in which more than 5,000 children also found that “pro-social” programs (think “Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood”) make children kinder and more tolerant.
In fact, the linkage between good behavior and watching good programming is as strong as the link between bad behavior and bad programming. (Christakis, 2007) Based on the conducted survey, Table 1 shows that male respondent of the 4th graders answers that program with actions, suspense, adventures and violent cartoon programs in Animax appeals to them. However, female respondents prefers program that are bubbly funny in character, fiction and fairy tale programs like Disney Channel. Most of them render time of 3-4 hours watching television after classes which is in the afternoon. About their academic performance, both genders are doing well.
As compared to 5th graders, they are more likely focus on their class standing. (See figure 1). RESPONDENTS 4th Grade 5th Grade Male 35 29 Female 15 21 Frequency of watching television 50 50 PROGRAM WATCHED Nickelodeon 5 7 Cartoon Network 13 11 Disney Channel 11 16 Animax (Japanese Anime) 19 13 Others 2 3 DURATION OF TELEVISION WATCHING 1-2 hrs. 12 28 3-4 hrs. 26 17 5-6 hrs. 10 4 7-8 hrs. 2 1 TIMESLOT USUALLY WATCHED Morning (5am-11am) 7 5 Afternoon (3-5pm) 39 43 Evening (6-8pm) 4 2 Watching TV before studying lessons in school 31 21 Studying lessons in school before Watching TV 19 29 SUBJECTS WITH THE HIGHEST GRADES
English 15 15 History 15 19 Math 12 13 Science 12 13 Others 8 3 Table 1. Television viewing habits of 100 respondents for both 4th & 5th graders Figure 1. 5th Graders excel more in academic than 4th Graders Based on the conducted survey as well as interviews on both respondents, children who watched television before studying their lessons, and sleep after studying their lessons made them recall their lessons in the morning class. On the other hand, children who studying their lessons before watching television and sleep after that, made them remember the programs they have watched in the morning class. (See table 1).
Since television viewing can interfere with the completion of homework assignments and reduce the amount of sleep a child gets as it shows in the duration of television watching (See table 1), excessive viewing could affect the child’s grades and alertness in school, this can be showed on the lowest grades acquired by both graders in the Figure 1. However, through this survey, research found out that the amount of time which children spend on homework or studies after watching television is significantly related to how they performed in school which can be seen on the highest grades of the respondents (See figure 1).
Through performing activities (Refer table 1) done by the respondents (4th & 5th graders) showed how the affect of television viewing formed and make significance to their academic performance. Through the kind of programs that the respondents were watching as it showed to this study, connects understanding to the kind of attitude and values they have and hold as they get along with their everyday life. Research tells also that 5th grader respondents were more motivated in performing homework assignments/studies before watching television. (See table 1). They are also aware of their academic performance as compares to 4th grader.
According to the Human Development biology, this is the stage wherein the child to this previous phase is called schoolchild (schoolboy or schoolgirl), when still of primary school age of 10-12. (2007), this may also the reason, of having erratic emotional transformation with regards to personal sets of values about his/her environmental viewpoints as well as social relationship. As connoted by Clark Hull “humans have internal biological needs which motivate us to perform a certain way”. These needs, or drives, are defined by Hull as internal states of arousal or tension which must be reduced.
(Hull 1943, 1952) Like in my opinion, television for children surface as need for them. Television is an art, a way to entertainment and makes fantasies of the social approvals as what they see on advertisement move along with the programs their viewing. From television viewing, it creates impressions on the programs that significantly affected to their values as they growing up. The need for providing quality-oriented programming for children is obvious. It is the responsibilities of parents or significant member of the family to give information same with guidance of things that the children viewing on television.
Conclusion This paper has discussed vitality role of television viewing, which creates affect on the academic performance of the children if not guided by their parents or significant people in their lives. Evidences and data pertains to the scope of this study also explained that the range of television viewing in long hours can make too much effect on the education of the children. It also affirmed to the idea that the relations of television viewing in the academic skills depend primarily on the content of the programs viewed.
Television content brings good and bad effects in manner if not in used accordingly by the viewers. As it discussed on survey results and interviews (See table 1 and figure 1), more of the graders said that their habitual pattern on the activities like television viewing between studying lesson showed emphasis like this: watched TV ? then studying their lesson ? after that sleep. As they attend to the morning class the retention of the studied lessons appeared to be the first chance of recalling than the programs they have watched on television.
Though, we cannot completely deny the fact that they still remembered the programs they have watched but when they are in class, the subjects and lessons surface than TV programs. Then again, because the topic discussed were about the subjects/lessons which possible studied before sleep. In spite of that, if the other pattern goes like this: studying their lesson ? watched TV ? after that sleep. The type of TV program that was watched before sleeping, have this probability to recall than the studied lesson. Still, we cannot deny the fact that it’s a school setting, wherein the topic to be discussed is related to lessons.
However, we cannot also deny that sometimes we captivated on the TV programs we watched before sleep. The order of habit in television watching sometimes affects recall. It also sometimes the reason that children have absent-minded as they say, “physically present but mentally absent”. Therefore this research concluded that, having academically excellence in education for 4th and 5th graders depend on the significant people like parents who can give proper guidance and training as the habits of television viewing is primarily concerned.
Likewise, the attention learned from television viewing can manifest to the values of children as they grow old and matured. Recommendations The lessons thought from this study, can enlightened the following people’s concern: 1. For TV avid viewers, this study will give you insights about the system of prioritizing, organizing and knowing the value of scheduling in terms of TV viewing and studying. 2. For the future reader of this research, allow this to be your reference in the continuance of discovering more about this conducted study. 3.
For my respondents who participated well to make this study explain the kind of behavior we showed in regards of relationship in television viewing as well as our performance as student in school. 4. For parents and guardian, this is a good reading tool for having recognized our role for our children as they make television viewing a habit. 5. For my fellow classmates, may this work effort explain well and be another idea for understanding the cause and effect of television in our education. 6. For the teachers, educators and trainers, this paper will serves as an additional input for widening the virtue of education to the lives of students.
