Since the beginnings of television, educators have endeavored to harness its power to educate a mass audience. This entry examines educational television programs with a particular focus on how to maximize their effectiveness. Much of the research reported here has also been summarized in Sandra Calvert's 1999 book Children's Journeys through the Information Age.

Researchers have generally defined educational television programs as those programs that focused on academic content areas that are taught in schools, such as reading, mathematics, science, and social studies. In contrast, prosocial television programs have been considered to be those that taught positive social interaction skills, self-control and achievement behaviors, and creative fantasy and imaginative play. Some researchers, however, have defined educational content broadly to include both educational and prosocial programs.

Research on Educational Television Programs

Early educational television typically consisted of instructional programs that were intended for classroom use. Lessons traditionally presented...