Begin with the children: What research on Sesame Street's international coproductions reveals about using media to promote a new more peaceful world

Abstract

For nearly four decades, Sesame Workshop has brought the joy of learning to the world's youngest citizens through the introduction of locally-produced coproductions of the preschool television series, Sesame Street. Many of these television shows have been specifically designed to forward important prosocial messages directly linked to the complex socio-political backdrop in which they are created. Focusing on recent projects in Israel, Palestine, Jordan, and Kosovo, this article reviews research on the educational effectiveness of these initiatives and highlights the ways in which study results provide information on best practices for media projects designed for children living in regions of conflict. The paper also reviews the strengths and weaknesses of various approaches and provides practical information on how difficult issues have been presented in an age-appropriate and culturally-relevant manner. By acknowledging the challenges inherent to producing media designed to effect attitudinal and behavior changes in places mired in ongoing conflict, these studies, when examined as a group, provide emerging evidence of the need for increasingly direct and specific media intervention efforts. Presenting these studies in light of the projects that they evaluate and the related socio-political circumstances offers a body of evidence suggesting the educational value of these media efforts and indicating a need for further study in this field.

Keywords

children's media conflict resolution cultural relevance diversity education peace education respect and understanding

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