Blackwell Reference Online

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If commercial success and global presence are valid indicators of acceptance, then it can be said that children around the world have embraced educational television programming. By its fortieth anniversary in 2009, the educational program → Sesame Street was broadcast in 140 countries. This included 18 international co-productions to utilize local expertise and accommodate for varying educational and cultural goals. Viacom's educational and entertainment network for children, Nickelodeon, continued to experience subscriber increases, reaching approximately 214 million households worldwide in 2009. Although variations exist between the different international versions of educational programming, observable similarities in children's responses to educational television exist. Researchers have found common patterns of cognitive behavior when children view educational programming in areas such as attention, comprehension, interactive learning, and altered attitudes. The focus of a large portion of the research has been limited by the means of measurement available to examine children's responses, although researchers have examined many other areas also (→ Educational Media ). One of the most immediate ways children can respond to educational programming is simply by choosing to watch a particular program rather than all others available, a process typically referred to as → selective ... log in or subscribe to read full text