Positive Images: Breaking Stereotypes with Children′s Television

Abstract

This is a history and an evaluation of a brave attempt to use children's television as a means of breaking down sexual and racial stereotypes. The authors, the official historian and the outside evaluator for the project, describe its evolution and the creative difficulties of reconciling the programme's twin purposes of entertainment and instruction. Did it work? Although the show had strong audience appeal, it did not run long enough, but did succeed in altering sex sterotypes when used in classroom discussion. What do these findings mean? (Education) The authors provide an in depth analysis of the award winning educational television -- 'Freestyle' -- designed to break down traditional stereotyping patterns in children. They examine the projects success or failure in meeting objectives, and integrating goals of educators and psychologists. Significant data and thoughtful speculation concerning the future of planned children's programming will be of interest to researchers, scholars and practitioners in education.

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