THE MEDIA AND TEENAGE BEHAVIOUR IN RELATION TO THEIR SOCIAL ENVIRONMENT.

LESLIE SITHOLE G11s4432 INDUSTRIAL SOCIOLOGY 2 28 APRIL 2012. SOCIAL RESEARCH PROPOSAL 2012

INTRODUCTION
In this research the aim is to find out whether the impact of media tools such as the television and the radio affect teenagers in relation to their environment, this is to say that teenagers are usually affected by films and movies in which they relate to in their everyday lives. Most parents can no longer socialise their children, thus children are now being socialised by television and radio programmes. This research seeks to clarify the concept that the environment that a teenager grows up in plays an important role in relation to their primary socialiser. Recent reports have shown an increase in violent behaviour of teenagers in South Africa, increased HIV/Aids rates amongst teenagers and teenage pregnancy. Even though some people might blame apartheid laws of segregation as the major contributing factor to the increased violent nature of teenagers in South Africa, the media has played a pivotal role in the lives of most teenagers. The rates of rape, drug use, teenage pregnancy and armed robbery amongst teenagers have increased drastically and this research seeks to clarify that these teenage behaviours are attributed to the films and the songs that teenagers listen to, especially if they relate to the same situation depicted in the film and music they will be watching or listening to. The reports on these teenage behaviours has raised concerned amongst many people and the research seeks to prove that the media is a major socializer of todays teenagers and children. This research is also based on proving that films and music not only socialises teenagers to become violent but also socialise them about sex. Due to the fact that most parents are away most of the time children now learn about sex for the movies they watch and most movies depict sex a normal thing to do when one is a teenager because in the movies there are depictions of teenagers in high school discussing about sex and pressurising each other to have sex and those that are virgins or those that abstain from sex are seen as outcast. Thus most teenagers think it is right to have sex but because they relate to the schooling environment depicted in the movies, and on the other hand these movies do not bring out the concepts of safe sexual practises. Thus most teenagers act upon this depiction without full knowledge, ending up pregnant or with sexually transmitted diseases and HIV/Aids, thus the high teenage pregnancies and HIV/Aids rates recorded in South Africa. In carrying out this research, teenagers in high school and those in correctional facilities will be the targeted population. The research teams will go to the local high schools in the high
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density suburbs in Grahamstown and they will also go to the correctional facilities in Port Elizabeth. The research data will be obtained through series of interviews of the teenagers personal experiences. The information will either be recorded using recording devices or they will write down on the questionnaires. Some pilot work will be done and letters of accesses will be sent to the ministry of education and to the ministry of correctional facilities in charge of the Eastern Cape Province.

LITERATURE REVIEW
Extensive research on the effects of media on children has been done all over the world because the media is a recent phenomenon that has affected society dramatically as compared to other sources of social change (Boyse, 2010:1). Recent researches has shown that on average teenagers spent more than half of their time watching television and listening to the radio and because the modern parents are away from home, working and the media has become the primary socialiser for children, thus the huge impact on teenagers. The media is the means of communication through television, radio, newspapers, magazines and the internet (Potter, 2011:1). Research on the effects of the media have been done worldwide especially in the United States of America, and South Africa has had its fair share of research but not as extensively as in the United States of America and these researches have focused on the impacts of the media on children (Wimmer and Dominick, 2009:2). Even though the research done in this area has been extensive it tended to generalise by combining the effects on teenagers from different backgrounds without considering that the environment also plays a crucial role. Most of the significant research has been done in the United States of America. There has been extensive research on teenage pregnancy, and in the research done by Jane Brown has shown that most of the movies and music in the film industry showcase sex twice as much than in the past decades. These researches have dealt with modern parenting and the deficit that industrialisation has led to parents being away from home and the media tools taking over their socialisation role (Brown, 2002:1). However these most of these researches tend to be generalised and from this research there will be focus on the combination of the external environment and impacts of mass media. The research framework is supported by the observational learning theory. This theory entails that observation is the leading factor of how children behave in certain ways. This theory helps explain the shift of parental socialisation to media socialisation, in combination with the
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environment. The invention of media tools has impacted society as a whole not only teenagers but even adults. The theory of observational learning state that children learn through observation and putting into practice what they see especially if they relate to what they see. The theory of states that through observation children acquire; certain cultural values form another culture and merge them with their own culture thus leading to adjustment of the people behaviour (Cameron, 2010:3). In the South African context the media has been the tool that has been distributing ideas of other cultures to the teenagers who have adopted the media as their primary socialisers. Thus it can be seen that the depiction of the violent culture of African Americans who live in the high density suburbs in movies has impacted teenagers in South Africa as they acquire and merge this culture with their own culture because they have observed the behaviours in the movies and they relate to the depictions. Another important research was carried out by Jo Groebel in 1998 he states that teenagers all over the world encode what they watch on television and then they develop a cultural orientation based on the visuals. This encoding is usually in relation to the economic and environmental situation they live in. Groebel further states that Viewers do not necessarily adapt what they have observed, but they measure their own behaviour in terms of distance to the perceived media models this means that teenagers will adapt certain behaviours if they can relate to what they see or hear. Brown (2002:1) affirm this in her research of mass Medias influence on sexuality, she states that teenagers feel that the television programmes they watch is a representation of themselves thus teenagers adopt these values and act upon them, and she further states that this has led to increased rates of teenage pregnancies. In South Africa research on the influence of the media in relation to the teenagers environmental settings have not been done extensively and the only major researches have been done in North America and in Europe. The increased reports of the violence, teenage pregnancy and the alarming rates of HIV/Aids amongst teenagers needs a sociological perspective on what are the major causes so as to find out way to deal with these events accordingly.

RESEARCH DESIGN
Conceptualisation This research aims to explain the phenomenon of the increased violence and sexual activity of South African teenagers. A behavioural theory is used to help in explaining how the influence of the media and environment affect teenagers behavioural change. This research seeks to clarify the relationship between the environment and the media in the socialisation process of teenagers. In this research the environment is the social environment that the teenagers live or were raised in and the media refers to television and the radio as the targeted population have access to these. The research targets both sexes but will be divided into two, in terms of the matter to be researched on, for example in term of teenage pregnancy female student will be the targeted population. In order to obtain relevant information for the research teenagers in correctional facilities and those attending schools will be the targeted population. The targeted teenagers should be aged between fourteen and eighteen from the high density suburbs (townships). The teenagers experiences will be the primary source of information for the research. Teenagers are the targeted population because they have first-hand information of how they came to be violent and this is the same with teenagers in schools who fell pregnant or are HIV positive because they also have the first hand information of how they were influenced into sexual activities. This research aims to establish that the combination and the environment in which a child grows up in influence their behaviour greatly. It seeks to clarify that the media is not the tool that socialises children to be violent but also the environment plays an important role in nurturing people to become who they are. Thus the main question will revolve around the teenagers perceptions and how they relate to the films and programmes they watch on television and the music they listen from the radio. The participants for the research programme will be chosen in terms of their experiences. The sample population will not be picked at random but their location will be picked up in relation to its nearness to the central business district (CBD). This is the central town area. Thus in terms of sexual activities those that are HIV positive and those who are teenage mothers or are pregnant will be automatically qualify for the research programme. This is the same with teenagers in correctional facilities the sample population will be chosen on the basis that they were involved in an armed robbery or were rape perpetrators. This method of
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sampling out participants makes sure we get as much information from people who have experienced the topics in question. The research will be conducted in schools in Grahamstown and in the correctional facilities in Port Elizabeth. In order to obtain the data there is need to get permission from the ministry of basic education in the Eastern Cape so that the research can be conducted in the schools, the next step will be to get permission from the school authorities and the parents of the participants. In terms of the teenagers in the correctional facilities there will be need to get permission from the correctional authorities so that we can interview the inmates of the facilities. Having consulted the authority and gotten information the interviewers will be dispatched to the schools and the correctional facilities where they will interview the participant and record the information. The last step of gathering the information will be the analysis of the information so that all the irrelevant aspects of information will be removed. Method of gathering information The research will be conducted by an interviewer who will be asking sets questions that relate to the influence of the media and recording down the information from each participant. The questioners will be constructed using the 11 official languages of this country, so that the participants can fully express and explain their experiences, as some of the participants may fail to fully express themselves in English or Afrikaans. The recorded information will be tabulated and scales to come up with numerical values, as it is easier to explain phenomenon in term of percentages. The interviews will ask the participants sets of personal question with some of the questions needing explanation for the answer given, this is called qualitative based interviews as the participants are going to be asked episodic parts of their lives. The interviews will be based on questioners and these are in-depth interviews where the interview will be in the participation process. One of the main disadvantages of research is bias and one way of reducing this bias there will be need to visit some of the parents of the participants and hear their side of the story, for example to see if they are working parents who are rarely there in so doing, there will be two sides of a story in which there will be a process to really see that the children were mostly along and turn to the media for guidance. In case of reducing error there proof from the participants will be required in the form of birth certificates, HIV results and visible pregnancy, these will be the requirements for teenagers in the schools and as for

those in the correctional facilities there will be need for their records just to make sure that they are part of the targeted population. Samples from the target population will be chosen in accordance with the purposive sampling method. The reason for this approach because the information required is of specific experience and thus there is need for people with information on their own personal experiences. This also makes it easy for the interviewers to know exactly the people they should interview and how they can interview them. The steps taken in choosing the samples will be firstly to visit schools and advertise the research. In case of the school advertisements those that come forward should produce HIV certificate results, birth certificates and to those that will be visible pregnant will automatically qualify for the sample population. In respect of juveniles in correctional facilities there will a representive that will be sent to the correctional centre to go and ask permission from the correctional officers to gather armed robbery and sex offenders and a meeting will be held with the representive and the teenager offenders and those that will be interested will automatically qualify for the sample population. To ensure that there is a high turnover of participants. There will prizes that should be given out. The targeted population will the informed of the draw that will take place after their participation. Therefore, in the correctional facilities the juvenile offenders will be awarded with their favourite food stuff this is to say those in the correctional facilities will be able to name their prize in terms of food stuff. Participants in schools will be awarded with shopping vouchers worth 1000 rand to a clothes store of their choice. The validity of the research will be determined by the comparison between the participants records and guardians account of the events. This will make the results more reliable as they will be coming from two different sources and are comparable. The guardians account will not be included in the final results they are only used to validate the teenagers account of events

Method of analysing information

Having collected all the necessary information from the participants there will be need to analyse the information and considering only the information necessary for the research. The analysing experts will be given tables where they will record information in terms of age and gender. In this way the results of the research will show the age group and gender with
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certain behaviours. The information on the tables will then be drawn in a graphical representation; this is to say that the information will be presented in a graphical manner for presentation. Tabulation and graphic presentation makes it easier to understand the percentage outcomes of the research. After researching, gathering and analysis of the information, a report will be written with the views derived from the acquired information. Some of the personal experiences will be written down with permission from the teenager participants; however the names of the participants will be omitted. The research report will be given out to schools, university and to the ministry of basic education.

ETHICS APPRAISAL
Taking into consideration the sensitivity of the issues that are being researched ethical consideration are important in ensuring that the research does not cause any harm or prejudice to the participants. Therefore the research will be based on anonymity, the interview are not allowed to ask the names of the participants or their physical addresses. The research teams are bound by research ethics which include anonymity, voluntary consent and full disclosure. Due to the fact that the targeted population are minors there is need for conformation from the parents or guardians thus some consent forms will be issued out to the parents so that they can consent to the participation of their teenage children in the research. The research process is a voluntary one and no one is forced into taking part and those that will feel that they can no longer participate will be allowed to stop. All of these ensure that the well-being of the participant as some of the experiences is traumatic. The research team that will be conducting the research, in the schools and the correctional facilities will have to disclose full information on the reasons of conducting the research so that the participants are fully aware what is required of them. In the case that a recording device is to be used the participants will be told even in the case of written information the participants will be told. This is that same with their personal records their consent will be of outmost importance. The participants might suffer psychologically as some of the issues discussed night be traumatic and thus a strict code of conduct should be followed so as to minimize these

outcomes. Any member of the research team that fails to adhere to the ethical code of conduct will be asked to withdraw from the research process.

PROJECT SIGNIFICANCE
The significance of this proposal is that the date collected will be used to educate parents and governmental departments on the importance of monitoring what the teenagers watch and listen to so as to reduce the rates of teenage crime and sexual activity. This research will also shed light on the state so that it makes laws that are strict on the movies that children buy in stores such as regulations that apply to the sell of alcohol for instance if a movie is for views above the age of eighteen then the sellers of the movies should not sell the movies to minors. This also helps the national broadcasting to restructure their broadcasting in relation to showing criminal shows and movies that have sexual scenes during prime time.

RESOURCES AND TIME SCHEDULE

Taking into consideration the distance that the researches have to travel in order to get the Port Elizabeth where the research is being conducted, the research teams will have to travel by road using public transport. The research is required to run for at least five days from Monday 28th of May to Friday the 1st of June. This time frame seeks the research team to gather as much information as possible. The interviewing process will be at hourly intervals so that every participant is given enough time to participate and tell their experience without being rushed. The expenses that need to be catered for include transport accommodation in Port Elizabeth, stationery food telephone and mail bill and prize money for the lucky draw a sum of 10 100 Rand should be sufficient for the research to be carried out sufficiently. The breakdown of the budget is as follows Transport Accommodation Stationery Food Telephone and mail bills Prize money for the lucky draws R 2 000 R 1600 R 2000 R 1500 R 500 R 2000

Tape recorder Total

R 500 R 10 100

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APPENDICES
APENDIX 1 Bibliography Boyse, K. 2010. Television and Children. Michigan University: Michigan. www.med.umich.edu/yourchild/topics/tv.htm Brown, J. 2002. Mass media influences on sexuality. University of Carolina: North Carolina. Cameron, R. 2010. Effect of the media. Mass Media and Society.

http://www.newswriting.org Groebel, J. 1998. The Unesco Global study on media violence. Utrecht University: Netherlands. Potter, J. 2011. Conceptualising mass media effects. Journal of communication. 61(5) pp. 888-912. Wimmer, R. and Dominick, J. 2009. Mass media research: an introduction. www.rogerwimmer.com Additional sources Babbie, E. & Mouton, J. 2001. The Practice of Social Research. Cape Town: Oxford University Press.

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APENDIX 2 Pilot work A preliminary research was done with the researches going to interview some teenagers at the local high schools in the high density suburbs and with some volunteers from the correctional facilities in Port Elizabeth. Question relating to the teenagers environment and the media were asked. A group of 10 students form the local schools and a group of five teenagers from the correctional facilities participated. Recording devices were used to record most of the interviews as these were convenient ways to record the correct information. The data gathered was then captured and tabulated. The first problem that was experienced from this research was the size of participants, due to the fact that the matters that were being asked were personal experiences therefore the intended results could not be gathered thus the conclusion was that the group size had to be increased so that a lot of information can be collected for meaningful results. The second problem was that most participants were unwilling to talk once they noticed the tape recorders thus in the research the recording devices will be optional this is to say that those participants that are willing to be recorded will have their voices recorded. APENDIX 3 Research instrument used This is one of the copies of the questionnaires that will be used to gather information.

A research on the media and environment and the effects on teenagers.

I would like to thank you for agreeing to take part in our research study. A Series of questions will be asked, and would be grateful if you were as open and honest as Possible; remember, there are no right or wrong answers in this research. Question 1 How old are?

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Question 2 Do you enjoy watching the television and listening to the radio Question 3 Can you explain the amount of time did you spend watching television in the past year Question 4 In your own words describe the amount of time do you spend with your parents. Question 5 What kind of music do you like listening to? Question 6 What kind of movies does you like watching? Question 7 Do you relate to the movies that you watch, if yes why? Question 8 Do you feel that the movies in the television influenced you in some way into doing the things that you have done? Question 9 At what age did you become sexually active? Question 10 Do you think that the environment you live in or spend most of your time has also influenced you? Question 11 Do you think you can attribute your behaviour to the movies you have watched or the music you have listened to, if yes explain
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These are some of the general questions that will be asked to the participants and some specific ones will be added and asked in relation to their personal experiences. APENDIX 4 Letters of access Written letters seeking permission form the departments in charge of the institutions, so that research can be conducted with minors at the various high schools and at correctional institutions. Letter to the Ministry of Education of the Eastern Cape. Department of education Private bag X0032 Bhisho 5605 Rhodes University P.O Box 94 Grahamstown,6140 South Africa To the director My name is Leslie Sithole, I am a sociology student at Rhodes University and am doing research on media and its effects on teenagers, and I would like to conduct some research using pupils form the local schools in Grahamstown. I wish to ask for your permission to conduct our research, and we would like to set up some research centres at the schools and conduct our research. This might be a bit disruptive to the learning processes at the schools Your cooperation is greatly appreciated. Regards Leslie Sithole.
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A letter to the Department of Correctional facilities in the Eastern Cape. Department of correctional facilities P Bag X136 East London Eastern Cape Rhodes University P.O Box 94 Grahamstown,6140 South Africa Dear sir/Madame My name is Leslie Sithole and I am a Rhodes sociology student and I am conducting a research on the effects of the media on teenage behaviour. I would like to work with some of the teenagers in correctional facilities in Port Elizabeth. And I seek your permission so that I can conduct my research in the facilities Your timely response will be greatly appreciated. Regards Leslie Sithole

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