Date of Award

2012

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Specialization

Communication and Leadership

School or Department

School of Leadership Studies

First Advisor

Dr. Michael Poutiatine

Second Advisor

Dr. Alexa Dare

Abstract

The impact of heavy television viewing and the effects it has on young viewers has been a dominant topic since the 1960s. With the ever-changing landscape of television programming, reality television has become increasingly popular, especially among the pre-teen and teen audiences. This study explores George Gerbner‘s Cultivation Theory (1998), which assumes that television has the ability to influence the attitudes and perceptions of its viewers, and uses it as a foundation to determine if there is an association between reality television consumption and the attitudes inner-city high school students have towards education. A total of 251 inner-city high school students completed a paper-and-pencil questionnaire during the 2011-2012 school year. The results indicate that students mostly maintain positive attitudes about education, despite how much reality television they consume. Light viewers of reality television, however, are more indirectly influenced by the content of this genre, using the negative perceptions they have about reality television to motivate them to succeed academically in high school. Students who were underperforming in high school placed little value on education. This study suggests that television can be used to change and reinforce attitudes high school students have about education, as well as a wide variety of other topics.

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