choice is personal. Speculative thought and imaginative active play are a vitalpart of the growth process of a child. (10) Recent research has shown that, contrary to conservative belief, children must do activework in order to watch TV, make sense of its substance and make use of its meaning. (11) Examining activities include judging anddesignating merit, determining what is valued, and deciding what positive and negative interpretations should be delegated to thematerial. In this way, children are active members in assessing television s meaning. (11)However, with the good must always come the bad. Through an emphasis on show business ethics, fictional treatment of subjectmatter, and magical effects, television is likely to distort a person s vision of reality. (Adams and Hamm 11) Heavy TV watchershave a perception of the world that is more like what they view on the tube than what the world is actually like. (11) Data havealso suggested that children who view television more often are likely to be less imaginative and that children already subjected toimaginative activities are less attracted to TV. (11) But in spite of these negative aspects, heavy viewing does not automaticallystunt personal growth or encourage poor academic achievement. (11)Television literacy objectives enable the student to understand the grammar and syntax of television, as it is expressed in differentprogram forms, analyze the appeals of television advertising, and compare similar presentations or those with similar purposes indifferent media. (Anderson 11) These objectives help students identify values in language, characterization, conflict resolution, andsound/visual images, as well as elements in constructive presentations affiliated with the ideas of plot, storyline, theme,characterizations, motivation, program formats, and production values. (11) Television literacy helps children utilize tactics for themanagement of viewing length and program choices. ...
