CHAPTER ONE
1.0 Introduction
1.1 Background
to the Study
According to UNESCO (1999), Television
is ubiquitous, with at least one television set present in most family homes in
developing countries. It is, therefore, not surprising that time spent in front
of a television set watching television, videos or DVDs is one of the most
prevalent leisure time activities among young people in developing nations
[Larson R.W (1990), Verma S (1990) and Strasburger V.C (2004)].
While
there are potential benefits from watching some television programs, videos and
DVDs by families, there are concerns that time spent in front of a television,
particularly during daylight hours, displaces more cognitively and physically
challenging pursuits on the family members [Huston et al; (1999)]. The
evidence that physical activity among children and adolescents is displaced by
time spent in front of television is, however, equivocal [Biddle et al;
(2004)].
Nevertheless,
there is consistent evidence that time spent in front of a television is
associated with a number of negative outcomes among adolescents, including
overweight and obesity [Gortmaker et al; (1996)] (although it has been
argued that this relationship is not clinically significant, [Marshall et al;
(2004)], poor dietary habits [Jeffery et al; (1998)], and social
problems (e.g., aggressive behavior, low school achievement) [Strasburger et
al; (2004)].
Despite
the enormous evidence on the need for healthy stimulating environment and
healthy supportive family interactions for the growing child, television
viewing (TV) seems to be replacing family interpersonal interactions.
Television viewing according to Van (1990) refers to the art of spending time
in front of a television screen while participating actively or passively in what
is being displayed.
Television viewing habit refers to the
amount of time an individual spends viewing television programmes, the nature
of such programmes, the age of the viewer and the viewing hour (Jason and
Johnson, 1995). In this study, television viewing habit refers to the average
daily viewing time of families in Osun State.
Television
viewing habit may impact positively or negatively on the families’ cognitive
development. Viewing television programmes for about 1-2 hours daily on the
average may enhance families’ cognitive skills development while a habit of 3 hours
or more of television viewing of general audience programmes or cartoon shows
according to Wiecha, Sobol, Peters, and Gortmaker, (2001) may reduce the time
children would spend engaging verbally and socially with family members and
significant others which are prerequisite for effective cognitive skills development.
Television
viewing is not condemned completely in the life of families. It has some merits
if well censored by parents and other adults. A study by Rosenberg (1994)
showed that television has been the most effective of all mass media in making people
aware of a wide range of human problems ranging from pollution to homelessness
and increasing awareness and acceptance of various kinds of illness both physical
and mental.
Evra
(1998) in his study noted that television viewing can promote pro-social behavior,
stimulate the imagination, teach letters and numbers and enhance pre-reading
and voluntary reading skills among children in a family.
1.2 Objectives
of the Study
The
main aim of this study is to investigate the television viewing habit among
families in Osun State. The specific objectives under this study are:
1. To know if television affects the viewing
habit of families in Osun State.
2. To determine
if television have impacts on the lives of families in Osun State.
3. To ascertain
if television viewing influences the career choice of family members in Osun
State.
4. To find out
how parents/guardians censor the choice of television programmes being watched
by family members in Osun State.
5. To study if
television viewing by children enhance their performance in school.
1.3 Research
Questions
1. Does television affects the viewing habit
of families in Osun State?
2. To what
extent has Television impacted on the lives of families in Osun State?
3. Does
television viewing influences the career choice of family members in Osun State?
4. How do
parents/guardians censor the choice of television programmes being watched by the
family members in Osun State?
5. Does
television viewing by children enhance their performance in school?
1.4 Significance of the Study
This research work deals with the
television viewing habit among families in Osun State. As an academic work
which intends to pass through the scientific scrutiny in terms of empirical
analysis, it aims to the academic knowledge both for the benefit of the
researchers and students of great minds. More so, those who want to engage in
similar topic will find it very useful by serving as a reference point as very
few materials are available on the topic.
1.5 Scope
of the Study
The
scope of this study covers families in Osun State and specifically discusses the
television viewing habits of families in Osun State.
However,
the finding of the project work can be well applicable to all other families in
other states in Nigeria.
1.6 Definition
of Terms
Television:
This is a form of broadcast media which families in Osun State have developed
habit for.
Habit:
This
is a natural tendency that is developed by families in Osun State.
Family:
This refers to a group of parents and their
children that have developed the habit of viewing television.
