Sesame Street and Playschool Revisited

Abstract

Following a theoretical comparison of ‘Sesame Street’ and Australian ‘Playschool’, the responses of 71 pre-schoolers to these programs are compared. Children were observed watching both programs in their own homes where external student observers recorded between two and three times as many responses to ‘Playschool’ than to ‘Sesame Street’. When watching ‘Playschool’ children answered presenters’ questions and comments (para-social interaction) significantly more often; joined in with songs and movements significantly more often and engaged in a significantly greater amount of physical interaction. Results are reviewed in the light of recent American research into children's attention to television and in terms of the oft cited assumption that children are necessarily passive when they view television.