Media Influence and Student Acheivment - Research Paper Example

Assignment Media’s Influence on Children and Adolescents Unlike previous generations who were “introduced” to the internet, television and socialmedia, the present generation is “born” in it. By this statement, it is implied that children today are much closer to technology and media than adults are, and so, are more likely to be affected by it. Perhaps, the highest impact on the physical, cognitive, and social-emotional development of children and adolescents is by media due to its ready availability through Smart phones, tablet PCs and other portable devices.

This paper attempts to evaluate some of the influences of media on various aspects of child and adolescent development.Impact on physical development: Excess use of media hinders physical development and growth. The main reason behind this effect is that media such as the internet, video gaming and television promote a sedentary lifestyle, leading to lack of physical exercise. More hours are spent sitting in front of the TV and PC screens than that spent on physical work. This promotes obesity not only because of lack of activity, but also because of the promotion of unhealthy eating habits through junk food advertisements that specially target children.

For instance, ad campaigns by McDonalds promote their products by luring children with toys and dummies of their favorite cartoon characters. A number of studies have pointed out numerous negative health outcomes of increased use of media. In a review that assessed 173 studies on the impact of media on child and adolescent health, it was found that media exposure is strongly linked with increased obesity and tobacco use. A moderate association was found between media exposure and alcohol and drug use (Nunez-Smith et al., 2008, p. 1).

Another cause of concern is the acceleration of the “onset of sexual activity” in children (Villani, 2001, p. 392). Increase in availability of sexually explicit material on the internet and TV prime time shows have encouraged children and adolescents to engage in sexual activities very early in life, resulting in increased incidence of teenage pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases. Impact on cognitive development: Media promotes depression, anxiety and violent behavior in children.

This is because many acts of violence are depicted in prime time shows and in video games. “High levels of television viewing are causally related to aggressive behavior and the acceptance of aggressive attitudes” (as cited in Strasburger & Donnerstein, 1999, p. 132). Furthermore, media affects children’s ability to learn. This is because they get used to learning through “song and dance” on edutainment TV shows, and when such excitement is absent at school, they feel it is boring and tend to lose interest in academics (Clean Cut Media, 2010).

More and more children are being diagnosed with attention disorders because they tend to multi-task while using media, by listening to music, chatting online, watching TV etc., at the same time (Clean Cut Media, 2010). An advantage of the internet is that it promotes learning through interactive media and interesting content, but utilizing it depends on the choice of the children.Impact on social-emotional development: Media has a profound impact on social-emotional development of children. Face-to-face interaction among children may suffer due to increased online interaction, leading to shyness and low conversational abilities.

Children who spend more time on social networks are found to have “narcissist tendencies” and “antisocial behaviors” (APA, 2011). However, a positive effect of social networking is that children tend to show “more empathy to their online friends” (APA, 2011). Media also promotes information sharing and awareness, which enables children and adolescents in taking part in important processes & voicing concerns. For example, eco-friendly drives and campaigns are hosted online by children.

ReferencesAPA. (2011). Social Networking’s Good and Bad Impacts on Kids. American Psychological Association. Retrieved August 17, 2011, from http://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2011/08/social-kids.aspxClean Cut Media. (2010). TV Media’s Influence on Child Development. Cleancutmedia.com. Retrieved August 17, 2011, from http://www.cleancutmedia.com/tv-shows/tv-medias-influence-on-child-developmentNunez-Smith, M., Wolf, E., Huang, H., Emanuel, E., & Gross, C. (2008). Media and child and adolescent health: a systematic review.

 San Francisco CA Common Sense Media. Retrieved from http://www.aeforum.org/aeforum.nsf/d5335c270a1f94d380256ef3004240f2/b768d6128ed9446180257569005d08d5/$FILE/Common%20Sense%20Media%20Report%201.pdfStrasburger, V. C., & Donnerstein, E. (1999). Children, adolescents, and the media: issues and solutions. Pediatrics, 103(1), 129-139. Retrieved from http://www.lionlamb.org/research_articles/strasburger%2099.pdfVillani, S. (2001). Impact of media on children and adolescents: a 10-year review of the research.

 Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 40(4), 392-401. Retrieved from http://www.lionlamb.org/research_articles/01C392.pdfAssignment #2: Student Achievement The study of child and adolescent psychology in terms of educational achievement is a complex one. This is because students’ educational achievements depend on a complex and interwoven set of factors that include their intrinsic characteristics like physical and genetic makeup, the environment they are brought up in, the emotional status of their parents, the outlook of their teachers and peers, and their cultural, ethnic and socioeconomic factors.

Influence of cultural, ethnic and socioeconomic factors on student achievement:Student achievement is largely affected by the socio-demographic variables of their families, with socioeconomic factors being the largest predictor of student achievement (Casanova et al., 2005). Poverty and a low socioeconomic status affect children’s confidence, subjecting them to inferiority complexes that hinder their school life and education. It may also lead to developmental challenges because of the lack of basic amenities.

Cultural factors and different ethnicities predispose children to cultural bias and discrimination from their peers and teachers, which becomes a hindrance in their educational development even if the child is totally competent (Bowman, 1994). Differences in mother tongue and the medium of instruction at school also pose a challenge to students’ learning. A child learns best when taught in its mother tongue. Therefore, if a subject is taught in a language other than what the child has grown up listening to, the child faces difficulty in processing what is being taught, as its mind does the dual task of translating the language and assessing its meaning.

Another factor that influences students’ achievement is the pressurization they face from parents and teachers to reach a certain level of achievement. If the child fails, he/she is punished. This kick starts another cycle of depression, failure and punishment. The positive impact of cultural and ethnic differences is that those students, who overcome their cultural and linguistic barriers while learning, achieve a better cognitive and interpersonal development. They develop better IQs, conversational abilities and communication skills.

The positive influence of family and teacher pressure on the students learning is that some children never attempt to study unless they are coerced into it. In these cases, strictness in approach is vital. Recommended strategies to counteract the negative influencesWhile the negative influences of cultural, ethnic and socioeconomic factors on student learning are deeply embedded, strategic planning and introduction of educational policies that address these issues may work out to their advantage.

The impact of poverty on student learning can be overcome by improving the sensibilities of teachers and training them to deal with the emotional and psychological aspects of students who come from less affluent families. Such children have very low interaction and interpersonal skills that hinder their learning. Teachers can work towards enabling them in voicing their thoughts and being a part of the classroom as much as other students are. In terms of cultural and linguistic differences, change has to be brought in, right from the very beginning, even before the child starts going to school.

Parents will have to introduce their children to at least one standard language apart from their mother tongue before they even join school, as linguistic abilities develop very early in childhood and are difficult to acquire as age progresses. Teachers should practice abstinence from discriminating against a culture and harboring prejudices and preconceived notions about the abilities of a student, based on his ethnicity and cultural background. Teachers and parents should be able to identify the fine line between “motivation” and “pressurization” while encouraging children to accomplish a certain level of achievement in education.

ReferencesBowman, B.T. (1994). Cultural Diversity and Academic Achievement. North Central Regional Educational Laboratory. Retrieved from http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/educatrs/leadrshp/le0bow.htm Casanova, P.F., Garcia, M.C., de la Torre, M.J., and de la Villa Carpio, M. (2005). Influence of Family and SocioDemographic Variables on Students with Low Academic Achievement. Educational Psychology, 25(4), 423-435. Retrieved from http://www.viriya.net/jabref/resilience/Influence_of_family_and_socio-demographic_variables_on_students_with_low_academic_achievement.pdf