1993/08/01 by Donald F. Roberts, Lisa Henriksen, David H. Voelker +2
Engineering · Social Sciences · #Education and Technology Integration #ICT Impact and Policies
paper · doi:10.1177/000494419303700207
crossref issued 1993/08/01 · crossref published 1993/08/01 · crossref published-online 1993/08/01 · crossref published-print 1993/08/01 · openalex publication_date 1993/08/01 · crossref created 2013/03/07 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · crossref deposited 2026/04/28 · crossref indexed 2026/07/24 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/25
Television is often accused of undermining children's academic achievement. This paper investigates two explanations which frequently accompany such a claim. The displacement hypothesis predicts that the time children spend with television is taken from activities that are more beneficial to school performance. The distraction hypothesis suggests that children's cumulative exposure to the structure of television—its pace, format, etc.–engenders an intolerance for the pace of schooling. A review of research on television viewing, time displacement, and academic performance fails to find any support for the displacement hypothesis. A review of studies relevant to the distraction hypothesis, however, uncovers mixed findings. This paper presents analyses of data gathered from school children in South Africa.