SOCIAL SCIENCE UNIVERSITY OF

ANKARA

Department of English Language Teaching

ELT 211 – FINAL PROJECT

2022 – 2023
SPRING
 Educational TV programs have a great impact on the intelligence of middle school

students, and this is a topic of great importance in today's education. Today, television has

become a part of young people's lives. Although people see this as a negative effect,

educational programs also show that they have positive aspects. Educational TV programs

offer a wide range of benefits that contribute to both the general development and intelligence

of middle school students.

Educational TV programs positively affect the cognitive development of secondary

school students. In fact, a study conducted by Anderson and Schmidt (2007) revealed that

educational television programs encourage critical thinking, problem-solving skills, and

memory retention in students. Because Educational TV programs are presented in an

interesting and easily accessible way to attract students' attention. Since these programs use

visual and auditory intelligence in the foreground, they ensure that the educational content is

easily remembered. Thus, students have skills such as critical thinking, problem solving and

acquiring new vocabulary.

Educational TV programs also help to develop cultural awareness. Programs that

showcase different cultures, such as documentaries or travel shows, provide students with

different perspectives and new ideas about both traditions and cultural situations. It allows

students to better understand the world by giving them characteristics such as empathy,

tolerance and broadening their horizons. Thus, it can help reduce prejudice and gap between

different societies by promoting social cohesion.

In addition to these, educational programs also affect the academic success of

secondary school students. For example, programs that focus on mathematics, science, history

and literature can deepen students' understanding of these subjects and improve their

academic outcomes. The audio-visual nature of television allows students to visualize abstract

concepts and educational materials beyond the traditional classroom setting. Thus, students
who regularly watch educational TV programs achieve improved academic results. In

addition, educational TV programs often present real-life scenarios, historical events, and

scientific concepts, helping students think analytically and creatively. The cognitive

stimulation they provide also develops vital skills needed for academic success. In addition,

educational TV programs serve as a complementary learning tool that reinforces concepts

taught in school. They can provide clarity to remove confusion in the subjects they do not

understand, provide reinforcement by providing practical examples, and facilitate the

understanding of the subject, which increases their academic performance.

Another positive aspect of educational TV programs is that they have a significant

impact on the socio-emotional development of secondary school students. Programs that

prioritize emotional intelligence, social skills and character development support empathy and

positive relationships between people. In other words, it helps students to have emotional

management skills and the skills to understand and positively relate to the other person. Thus,

it contributes to the holistic development of students by addressing socio-emotional aspects.

While the impact of educational TV shows on middle school students' intelligence is

generally positive, it's important to be mindful and balance screen time. Over-reliance on

television and hands-on learning that includes real-world interactions and physical activity

can interfere with. For this reason, a good balance should be established between these

programs and learning such as classroom training or hands-on training.

As a result, Educational TV programs have a significant impact on the intelligence of

secondary school students. It greatly contributes to cognitive development, academic

achievement, cultural awareness, and socio-emotional development. For these reasons, both

educators and parents can use this tool to develop students and make them ready for the

modern world by taking advantage of the power of television as an educational tool. In

addition, it is very important to provide a balanced viewing in order to increase the benefits of

educational TV programs and reduce their negative effects.

References:

Schmidt, M. E., & Anderson, D. R. (2007). The Impact of Television on Cognitive

Development and Educational Achievement. In N. Pecora, J. P. Murray, & E. A. Wartella

(Eds.), Children and television: Fifty years of research (pp. 65–84). Lawrence Erlbaum

Associates Publishers.

Calvert, S. L. (2001). Children's journeys through the information age: The effects of

electronic media on development. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 22(1), 7-

30.