CHAPTER ONE

1.0 INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background to the Study

There is increasing concern about the amount of time that children spent watching television set. Excessive viewing has been linked to a range of adverse health and behavioural outcome. Another concern is the eect that television viewing may have on education. This concern is not new. In New Zealand, there was controversy about the educational value of television before television was introduced. On the other hand, television is on extremely effective form of communication that has the potentials to introduce children to a much wider range of experience and ideas. Much of the content is that television programme is entertaining and less educational value. Time spent viewing these programmes may displace more educational activities such as homework, reading, or creative play. Numerous cross-sectional survey of television viewing and educational achievement have been undertaken. In general, these indicate negative association.

However, the apparent association tends to disappear or is studies that adjust confounding factors such as intelligence and socio economic status. The issue is complicated by findings that suggest that the adverse or beneficial effects of television may be more pronounced in certain groups according to social advantages, intelligence and sex. Furthermore, there are indication that although excessive television viewing may impair school performance, a limited amount (10h/wk) maybe beneficial. Short term follow-up studies of students for 2-4 years also suggest that apparent negative associations between television viewing time and measure of school achievement become insignificant after adjusting for baseline performance. Follow-up studies of pre educational television programmes may enhance school readiness and school performance in adolescence. However, these benefit appear to be related to watching specific educational programmes rather than total viewing time. although these studies of specific television content suggest that watching television can be educational, they do not address the more important question of whether the television that children do watch is educational.

Thus, despite several decades of research, there is little consensus on whether childhood television viewing has benefit, harmful or negligible eects on educational achievement. This uncertainty is at least partly due to a lack of long term follow-up data, particularly for school-age children. We have recently reported on the association between child and adolescent television viewing and also adult health in a birth cohort of approximately 1000 individual. We now report on the associations between television viewing and educational attainment in the same cohort. Many marine parent provider and education are concerned about the amount of television and the type of programming to which children under the age of 2 spend on average two hours everyday watching television or other screen media such as computer games. The America academy of pediatrics advises that children under age 2 too much television viewing can have negative eect and impact. Children may have attention diiculties, then may have delays in language and develop smaller (vocabularies). Vocabularies, they may have more violent and aggressive play and behaviour of which they are more likely to be obese. The parents as teacher national center says that young children need to explore, move, manipulate, smell, touch and repeat as they learn. Research tell us that watching television or sitting in front of a screen does not increase attention, promote social skills, or foster creative play. Children should engage in the activities they need to help them develop their bodies and brain instead of watching television sets. Children over the age of 8 spend an average more than 5 hours of a day consuming entertainment media.

This can include DVDS the internet, and video games using the phone, texting or doing combinations of these and multi tasking. It is important for children to play, read, do homework without distraction, and have in person. Conversation with other children and adults, these experiences are important for healthy social, brain and emotional development. Children who watch television/too much television are absorbed by screen time have less time for interactions and for free play, which are both important for healthy development. Children who watch more television don’t get as much physical activity and don’t have time to explore new activities in the same way as children who spend less time in front of a screen.

1.2 Statement of the Problem

The problem which this project work is interested in is the effects of television programmes on educational attainment in primary school pupil. There are many effects which is associated with poor educational achievement. The effects may be in positive/good or negative way depends on the children background.