Instructional Television circa 1990

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting conducted a third survey of the "use of television as a teaching resource in America's classrooms" during the 1990-91 school year. This survey was a follow-up to the 1976-77 and 1882-83 school utilization studies. The increasing role of video technology in school television utilization is reflected in the survey's title: "Study of School Uses of Television and Video."

Methodology

For purposes of the survey, the following definition was used:
Instructional television and video (ITV/V) is defined as “all school uses of any kind of television and video programming and equipment for instructional purposes.”

Surveys were sent to a stratified random sample of district superintendents, school principals, and classroom teachers across the country.  Responses were received from 87% of superintendents, 90% of principals, and 75% of teachers.

Access

Availability
97.1% of teachers reported access to instructional television and video.
About 60% of teachers reported access to printed teachers' guides.

Teacher to Equipment Ratios
The number of teachers sharing televisions and VCRs declined significantly from 1982-83.
At that time, there were, on average, eight teachers for every one television set. By 1990-91, more than half of the schools surveyed reported four or fewer teachers per set. 75.2% of schools reported one VCR for every four to ten teachers; the remainder of schools had three or fewer teachers sharing each VCR.

ITV Delivery Methods
Schools reported accessing ITV/V from a variety of sources.

ITV delivery method	% of schools with access
videocassette	89.1%
off-air broadcast from public television station	66.6%
off-air broadcast from commercial television station	52.8%
cable or fiber system	64.5%
satellite	17.3%
videodisc	13.6%
ITFS	13.5%

Videocassette Delivery Methods
Teachers report a variety of sources for videocassettes.

Sources of videocassettes	% of teachers using source
Library, department, or school office	69.5%
Home recording	57.6%
Another teacher	55.3%
School district	50.5
Video store rental	48.8%
Regional agency or state department	37.5%
Commercial purchase	31.3%
Public library	30.5%

Other Types of Equipment
Schools also reported increased access to other types of television and video equipment. The most widely available types of equipment (with % of schools reporting it) were:
Video cameras (81.3%)
Videodisc players (19.1%)
In-school TV studios (7.7%)
Interactive video systems (7%)

Videocassette Libraries
Most teachers reported access to a videocassette library or libraries.
76.6% had access to libraries in their own schools; 53.1% had access at the district level, and 52% reported access at the state or regional level.

Obstacles
Few teachers reported difficulty in obtaining access to televisions and VCRs for classroom use, and fewer problems with equipment condition were reported than in 1976-77 or 1982-83.
However, about 60% of teachers reported difficulties in obtaining specific programs, or in obtaining programs at the time they were needed, and over 50% reported difficulty in finding quality programs in particular subject areas.

Teacher Preparation, Media Usage, and Attitudes

Training
Only 25% of teachers reported ever having received training in ITV/V, a 6% decline from 1983-84. Moreover, when training was available, it tended to focus on procedures rather than concepts. The mechanics of equipment use, video ordering, copyright, and school policies were emphasized, while class preparation and classroom techniques were given less attention.

Use of Available Media
82% of the teachers with access to ITV/V, or 79.4% of all teachers, reported using it at least once during the school year. 54% of teachers surveyed had used ITV/V during the month preceding the survey. More than 80% of teachers with access to printed program guides report using them.

The average teacher reported 20 minutes of class preparation before viewing a program, and another 15-20 minutes of follow-up following the program's conclusion.

The most common types of program related class activities (together with % of teachers reporting the activity) were:
Classroom discussions (93.4%)
Written assignments (56%)
Examinations and quizzes (38.3%)

Subject Area Emphases
The most common subjects for which ITV was used (together with % of teachers reporting ITV use for that topic) were:
Science (44.3%)
Reading (42.0%)
Social Sciences (39.6%)
History (29.1%)
English (27.5%)
Health/Nutrition (29%)

Attitudes
Teachers responded positively to a variety of statements about classroom use of ITV/V.
The most supported comments (with % of teachers who agreed with the statements) were:
-"ITV/V can have a positive impact on the quality of education" (91.3%)
-"ITV/V helps teach more effectively" (83.4%)
-"ITV/V enables teachers to be more creative" (80.9%)
-"ITV/V generates new interest in topics" (72.4%)
-"Students learn more when ITV/V is used" (51.1%)
-"ITV/V increases student motivation to learn" (45.3%)

Popular Programs

Public television remains the leading source of the most popular programs: 60% of the most-used titles were broadcast on public television, though teachers used a wide variety of programs from numerous sources. The 3,072 teachers responding to the survey together reported using 1,700 different programs or series during the month preceding the survey.

Most-Used ITV Programs, 1990-91
Reading Rainbow
National Geographic
CNN News
Sarah, Plain & Tall
NOVA
3-2-1 Contact
Sesame Street
News (General)
Channel One
Letter People
Nature
The Civil War
Slim Goodbody
Books from Cover to Cover
Romeo and Juliet

Student Exposure

Almost 24 million students (about 60%) received some ITV instruction during the 1990-91 school year.

Return to timeline.
 

See the results of other ITV usage surveys:

1963-64

1976-77

1982-83

Last update: August 26, 2005 Comments to: Mary Miller mlmiller@uga.edu Created by Mary Miller and Teresa Cruce for Dr. Thomas Reeves' UGA class EDIT 6100, spring 2002 URL=//http://www.arches.uga.edu/~mlmiller/9091survey.html