Narratives of nature : television's storyline and preschool viewers' accounts

Abstract

Preschool children grow up in a media-saturated environment, easily accessing a variety of technologies, including television. This study investigated the environmental content in both the television programming for preschool children and in the personal narratives of this viewing audience. Cultivation studies suggest the lack of environmental content on television, coupled with heavy viewing patterns, reduces individual concerns for the environment. This study explored the possible cultivation effect that television viewing enacts on preschool children’s conceptions of the environment. A content analysis coded environmental actions and environmental literacy benchmarks on preschool television. Interviews with preschoolers explored their conceptions of the environment through a play-based narrative. Findings include: environmental content exists on television but lacks frequency and context to enhance audience understanding; and preschool children utilize experiences from their daily lives and from television to explain “nature.”