Abstract
Science is a collection of stories and television is an important medium through which these stories are retold, in various ways and using various characters. The chapter examines the natures of science that are constructed on television on different genres of programmes such as citizen science, children’s educational programming, documentaries, and entertainment-education. A review of studies that inform our understanding of how we learn from the science we view on television is presented. Science communicators, including those involved in constructing science on television, need to work in collaboration with each other in order to most effectively present science that is both engaging and is in keeping with citizen science and inquiry science perspectives.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Anderson, D. R., Bryant, J., Wilder, A., Santomero, A., Williams, M., & Crawley, A. M. (2000). Researching blue’s clues: Viewing behavior and impact. Media Psychology, 2, 179–194.
Bennett, J. (1999). Science on television: A coming of age? In E. Scanlon, E. Whitelegg, & S. Yates (Eds.), Communicating science: Contexts and channels (pp. 158–174). London, UK: Routledge.
Boiarsky, G., Long, M., & Thayer, G. (1999). Formal features in children’s science television: Sound effects, visual pace, and topic shifts. Communication Research Reports, 16, 185–192.
Bryant, J., Mullikin, L., Maxwell, M., Mundorf, N., Mundorf, J., Wilson, B. J., et al. (1999). Effects of two years’ viewing of Blues Clues (A report submitted to Nick Jr.). Tuscaloosa, AL: Institute for Communication Research, University of Alabama.
Brossard, D., & Shanahan, J. (2003). Do citizens want to have their say? Media, agricultural biotechnology, and authoritarian views of democratic processes in science. Mass Communication & Society, 6, 291–312.
Center for Disease Control. (2000). Summary report. Setting a research agenda for entertainment-education. Conference Sponsored by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Atlanta, GA.
Crawley, A. M., Anderson, D. R., Wilder, A., Williams, M., & Santomero, A. (1999). Effects of repeated exposures to a single episode of the television program Blue’s Clues on the viewing behaviors and comprehension of preschool children. Journal of Educational Psychology, 91, 630–637.
Dhingra, K. (1999). Ethnographic study of the construction of science on television. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Teachers College, Columbia University, New York, NY.
Dhingra, K., Wilder, A., Sherman, A., & Leavitt, K. (2001, April). Science on television: Case study of the development of “bugs” on Blue’s Clues. Paper presented at annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Seattle, WA.
Gibbons, M. (1999). Science’s new contract with society. Nature, 402, 81–84.
Holliman, R. (2004). Media coverage of cloning: A study of media content, production and reception. Public Understanding of Science, 13, 107–130.
International Telecommunications Union. (2009). World telecommunications indicators. Retrieved on November 20, 2009, from http://www.itu.int/newsroom/press_releases/2009/39.html
Irwin, A. (1995). Citizen science: A study of people, expertise and sustainable development. London and New York: Routledge.
Kaiser Family Foundation. (2004). Study of entertainment media and health. http://www.kff.org/entmedia/index.cfm
Lewis, J., Wahl-Jorgenson, K, & Inthorn, S. (2004). Images of citizenship on television news: Constructing a passive public. Journalism Studies, 5, 153–164.
Long, M., Boiarsky, G., & Thayer, G. (2001). Gender and racial counter-stereotypes in science education television: A content analysis. Public Understanding of Science, 10, 255–269.
Mutz, D. C. (2007). Effects of “In-Your-Face” television discourse on perceptions of a legitimate opposition. American Political Science Review, 101, 621–635.
National Science Board. (2008). Science and engineering indicators 2004 (Vol. 1 NSB 08-01A). Arlington, VA: National Science Foundation.
Palfreman, J. (2002). Bringing science to a television audience. Nieman Reports, 56(3), 32–34.
Scheufele, D. A. (2002). Examining differential gains from mass media and their implications for participatory behaviour. Communication Research, 29(1), 46–66.
Singhal, A. (2004). Entertainment-education worldwide: History, research, and practice. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Solomon, J. (2002). Science stories and science texts: What can they do for our students? Studies in Science Education, 37, 85–106.
Van Evra, J. (1998). Television and child development. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2012 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Dhingra, K. (2012). Science Stories on Television. In: Fraser, B., Tobin, K., McRobbie, C. (eds) Second International Handbook of Science Education. Springer International Handbooks of Education, vol 24. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-9041-7_75
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-9041-7_75
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-1-4020-9040-0
Online ISBN: 978-1-4020-9041-7
eBook Packages: Humanities, Social Sciences and LawEducation (R0)