Creating Educational Television Programs that are Relevant to the Lives of Children

Abstract

One of the greatest challenges in education, whether in formal settings or in the television arena, is creating contexts for learning that are relevant to children's lives. This article describes the formative research process by which the creators of the Ghostwriter television series develop educational programming that is meaningful for its young audience. Focusing on a particular Ghostwriter story, we describe two research studies that were conducted to inform its creation. Children's ideas and sentiments were then integrated into the story in various ways. Our hope is that readers will emerge with an understanding of the process by which the Ghostwriter development team involves children in creating educational programming. Child-centered stody development such as this demonstrates television's ability to educate while addressing children's concerns about complex social issues in their lives.

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