어린이 시청자의 도구적 시청과 관습적 시청경험 연구

Abstract

이 연구는 어린이 시청자의 시청욕구 및 시청태도와 관련한 변인(시청동기, 친밀감, 현실감, 주목도)과 텔레비전 시청 행위 변인(유형별 프로그램 시청 정도, 시청량) 및 시청결과 변인(안전감)이 결합하여 형성하는 다변인적 상관관계의 특성을 파악하여 어린이의 텔레비전 시청경험에 대한 체계적인 조사를 시도하였다. 초등학교 어린이 344명의 시청경험에 대한 응답은 인자분석과 정준상관관계분석을 통하며 조사되었다. 인자분석의 결과는 시청동기의 구조가 휴식, 흥미, 습관, 정보/편리성, 현실도피, 상상적 교류의 6개 인자로 구성되고 있으며, 이 6개 인자의 특성은 도구적 시청동기(흥미, 정보/편리성, 상상적교류)와 관습적 시청동기(휴식, 습관, 현실도피)로 구분되었다. 정준상관분석의 결과는 시청동기에 의해 형성된 시청태도, 시청행위, 시청결과의 차별적인 상호상관의 결합을 통하여 텔레비전 이용과 효과에서 도구적 시청과 관습적 시청의 차별성을 보여주었다. 이 연구의 결과는 어린이 시청자의 텔레비전 이용과 효과 과정이 시청량과 같은 단순한 노출이나 메시지의 내용적 특성만이 아니라 수용자의 다양한 심리적ㆍ사회적 속성과 미디어 메시지가 다양한 상호작용을 통하여 형성되는 것임을 보여주었다. 따라서 어린이 시청자를 수용자로서만이 아니라 이용자로서의 측면에서도 연구해야할 필요성을 제기하고 구체적인 후속연구과제를 논의하였다.

Television is likely to have a crucial influence to children, as the roost common and pervasive media in modern society. There are also growing concerns of negative influence of television on the children audience. Thus, media research must be able to show whether television means anything to especially children, if so, what, because children are very sensitive to media In this regard, this study focused on the television uses and effects experience of children audience. The objective of this study was to examine the characteristics of instrumental television viewing and ritualized television viewing by analyzing the interactant relationships among instrumental and ritualized viewing motivations, viewing attitudes, viewing behaviors, and viewing effects. The examination proceeded from two research questions. First, what are the motives of Korean children audience for watching television? Second, what are the characterictics of the interrelated multivariate relationships of instrumental and ritualized television viewing, respectivelly? Questionnaires were administered during class periods to the 4th grade elementary school students at Ansan area from 3rd to 4th week, Oct. 200. Three hundred and forty four questionnaires provided usable data The sample in age was mainly 11(N=318, 92.4%) with 48.8% men(N=168) and 49.7% women(N=17l). Factor analysis was used to examine the first research question, the motives of Korean children audience, Canonical correlations analysis was employed to investigate the second research question, the interrelated multivariate relationships among viewing motives, viewing attitudes, viewing behaviors, and viewing effects. Six viewing motivations were identified: relaxation, excitement, habit, information/convenience, escape, and imaginative interaction. Instrumental television viewing was constructed by the interrelated relationships of information/convenience viewing motive, perceived message realism, attention, informative programs, and perceived safety. Ritualized television viewing was formulated by the interrelatd relationships of habit viewing motive, perceived TV affinity, non-informative programs, and perceived safety. The results revealed that children′s television uses and effects are not an outcome of simple reception of television messages but an outcome growing out of active interaction among viewing motives, perceived TV affinity, perceived message realism, program choice, and perceived safety. The study emphasized the central role of viewing motives to lead children′s different television uses and effects for the better understanding mass communication influence in specific and for mass communication process in general. Implications of the results for children audience and mass communication research were discussed Research agenda for future study was suggested, including comparative empirical studies on interaction between children′s various activeness and program messages.