SUMMARY,
CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
5.1 SUMMARY
The
study has shown that, there is a causal relationship between films violence and
increase in crime/violent behaviour among children/student due to lack of
mediation. Since film messages like any other mass media message, affect
attitudinal changes as they are effectively designed to alter the psychological
functioning of individuals, children who watch such programmes are immensely
affected.
As
people who are cognitively immature, children learn from older persons. Most
often they lack the power to judge what is right or wrong and for that reason
they view any behaviour they frequently get exposed to as an acceptable
behaviour.
This
socialization does not only come from people around but also, television.
Children imitate a lot even television characters, the reason being that they
want to be socially accepted. From
In
view of this if left alone to watch television they are likely to copy or learn
the good, the bad and the ugly from the screen. It therefore, required that
their television viewing should be mediated by older people, preferably
parents. Mediation will make them understand the interpretation of complex
realities surrounding certain behaviours on the screen.
5.2 CONCLUSION
In
Nigeria, it is observed that many parents and guardians do not perform the
mediation of centralizing television viewing, making efforts to explain certain
television contents to their children to make them grasp quicker the positive
message or the consequences of the negative message in the programme, rather
most parents position television sets in their children’s room which does not
do the children any good. This is because of the socio-economic factor having
direct effects on the domestic environment, physical condition of homes and
time available for parent-child development (Warren 2005). Most parents spend
greater part of their time at their business or place of work, thereby allowing
their children unguided during these periods.
5.3 RECOMMENDATIONS
Our
stations should follow the telecommunication Act of 1996 which requires every
station to mark any programme which has abundant/excessive violence which will
also help parents to use the V-chip technology where programmes can be locked
and at the same time opened for children to watch positive films.
Mediation
is the key in protecting our children from the harms/dangers posed by violent
films. Mediation, therefore, means guiding against, mitigating or controlling
children’s viewing habit in order to reduce the influence of violent films on
them.
The
negligence of parents in mediation of television, video game programmes made
the American Psychological Association (1993) and National Research Council
(1993) to assert, violence is caused by parental abuse, rejection and neglect
accompanied by poverty (Waston, 2003).
Therefore,
if these are taken into consideration, the negative effect of violent films on
television, internet, video games etc on our children will definitely kick the
bucket in the near future.
REFERENCES
Agba,
C. (2001). Electronic reporting heart of
the new communication age, Nsuka: University of Nigeria Press.
Asadu
C. A. & Iroham, B. C. (2010). The dysfunctional effects of television
viewing on children, LWATI: A Journal of
Contemporary Research, 7 (2), 76-83.
Cho,
H. & Salmon, C. T. (2007). Unintended effect of health communication
campaigns. Journal Communication
Vol.57, 293-317.
Hetsroni,
A. (2007). Four decades of violent
content on prime-time network programming: A longitudinal meta-ANALYTIC review. Journal of Communication Vol.57, Issue
4.759-784.
MacBride,
S. et. al (1980). Many voices one world:
communication and society today and tomorrow. Ibadan: Ibadan University
Press.
Nathanson,
A. I (2004), Fractural and evaluative approaches to modifying children’s
responses to violent television I.
Journal of Communication 54, (2),
321-336.
Okoro,
N. (2008). Television violence and children: A case studies exploration of the
violent behaviour paradigm. International
Journal of Communication (8) April 2008, 203-230.
Rodman,
G. (2006). Mass media changing world:
History, industry, controversy. USA: MacGraw- Hill Higher Education.
Saito,
S. (2007). Television and cultivation of gender-role attitudes in Japan does
television contribute to the maintenance of the statues quo? Journal of Communication 57, N0.(3), 511-531.
Sambe,
J. A. (2005). Introduction to mass
communication practice in Nigeria. Ibadan: Spectrum Books Limited.
Severin,
W. J. & Tankard, J. W. (Jr.) (1988). Communication
theories: Origin methods, uses (2nd edition). New York: Longman
Inc.
Warren,
R. (2005), Parental mediation of children’s television viewing in low-income families. Journal of Communication 55, No. (4)
December, 2005, 847-863.
Watson,
J. (2003), Media communication: An
introduction to theory and process (2nd edition). New York:
Palgrave Macmillan.
APPENDIX I
Department
of Linguistics
and
Communication Studies,
Faculty
of Humanities,
University
of Port Harcourt,
Rivers
State.
Dear
Respondent,
I am a final
year student of University of Port Harcourt carrying out a research on “Violent Films and Children in Yenagoa;
Evaluation of Parental Mediation Awareness”. It is an academic requirement
for the award of Bachelor of Arts (B.A) degree.
To this end, I
have designed this questionnaire to enable you to provide answers to. I assure
you that information supplied will be treated confidentially.
Kindly answer
the questions on the attached sheets by choosing the alternative that suit you.
Yours
sincerely,
Researcher
APPENDIX
II
QUESTIONNAIRE
BIO-DATA:
SECTION A
Please
tick the boxes where applicable and appropriate
1. Your Gender: (a) Male (b) Female
(d) 16 above
(a) JSS
SECTION
B:
4. Do you have access
to:
(c) Video game
5. Do you watch violent
films?
(c) No
6. Which of these media
do you use in watching violent films?
(c) Video game
7. How many hours do
you spend watching violent?
(c) 3hr
8. Do your parents
watch films with you?
(b) No
9. Do you watch violent
films alone
(b) No
10. Do you watch films
outside your house?
(b) No
11. Do you watch violent films with your friends?
(b) No
12. Do you enjoy films where they shoot guns or
fight, that is action films? Yes No
13. Do your parents know that you watch violent
films? Yes No
14. Do your parents buy
films for you? Yes No
15. How do you feel
after watching violent films?
(c) Do not watch
16. Do violent films make you have violent
behaviour?
(c) Do not watch at all
17. Do your father or mother advise you on the type
of films to watch?
(c) Do not watch at all
18. What are your
reasons for watching violent films?
…………………………………………………………………………………..
…………………………………………………………………………………..
19. Do violent films have positive or negative
effect on you as a person?
(d) Violent films at
all
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