Paper for Harvard University Graduate Course HT 123, Informal Learning for Children
Transcript of Paper for Harvard University Graduate Course HT 123, Informal Learning for Children
A Girls News Program for Wiser Consumers
Harvard Graduate School of Education
Course: HT123
Informal Learning for Children
Group: 10, Big Bird
Krithika Jagannath
Felicia Khoja
Kristen San Miguel
Angela Rivera
Donovan Stevens
Art work: Felicia Khoja
Website: Krithika Jagannath and Felicia Khoja
Contents Executive Summary ..................................................................................................................................................... 1 Needs of Young People in the Target Group ...................................................................................................... 2 Goals and Objectives of This Project: ................................................................................................................... 4 Media Habits of Target Population ......................................................................................................................... 5 Formative Evaluation and Resulting Revisions .................................................................................................. 6 Design of This Project ................................................................................................................................................. 7 Use Case .......................................................................................................................................................................... 8 Outreach Strategy ...................................................................................................................................................... 10 .......................................................................................................................................................................................... 10 Dissemination ............................................................................................................................................................. 11 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................................................... 13 Appendix A .................................................................................................................................................................. 14 Appendix B .................................................................................................................................................................. 15 Appendix C .................................................................................................................................................................. 22 Research bibliography .............................................................................................................................................. 25 Endnotes and references .......................................................................................................................................... 26 Experts Consulted ...................................................................................................................................................... 26 Pitch Presentation Deck ........................................................................................................................................... 27
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Executive Summary The Big Bird Research Group (BBRG), based at Harvard University’s Graduate School of
Education, created The Flynn Report, a cartoon and live action magazine-style news program for
the purpose of helping suburban girls, ages eight to ten, become wiser consumers. The BBRG
discovered that tweens in the US spend over $40 billion on consumer products and influence over
$150 billion of purchases per year (Smith, 2013), yet there are no age-appropriate educational
efforts that promote financial literacy, highlight the biases in marketing campaigns, research
company practices or examine healthy consumer practices. The Flynn Report and its supporting
content fills this information gap through informal learning experiences that act as preventative
strategies to thwart a life-long path of unconscious consumerism. The short-form magazine-style
show aims to empower girls to become critical-thinkers by arming them with a toolkit on how to
gather information, conduct research, and participate more consciously in the consumer
marketplace. The overarching goal of fostering meta-cognitive skills around wiser consumerism
can be achieved through our objectives of creating awareness (of biases in advertising and
consumer habits), encouraging investigation (research methods and investigative journalism), and
inspiring action (the voicing of opinions, participation in outreach activities and changes in
consumer behavior). Furthermore, The Flynn Report redefines “news” through an entertaining,
age-appropriate show run by young girls for young girls. The full episodes will exist on digital
platforms like Netflix, while clips can easily be distributed on YouTube channels, blogs, partner
websites and The Flynn Report interactive website for a full spectrum digital media intervention.
The BBRG leverages partnerships and outreach beyond the web space to support local, face-to-
face informal learning opportunities through co-viewing guides for parents/caregivers, activity
kits for teachers, and partner programs with local organizations, namely the Girl Scouts.
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Collaborative partnerships at a local level build the foundation for growth to state and national
wise consumer initiatives. Ongoing formative research efforts ensure that educational
programming will remain current and relevant in addressing the needs of the target population.
Needs of Young People in the Target Group
As they age and gain more financial independence, young girls from suburban families in
the United States have a greater need for consumer education. Research supports that primary and
informal education could help them develop critical thinking and reasoning skills to help them
become wiser consumers as adults (Jiyane & Zawada, 2013). Young girls are more often than not,
specific targets of marketing campaigns that influence them towards a life-long path of
consumerism, materialism and misleading stereotypes. Furthermore, “Marketing to children, has
also introduced a new vocabulary which tells youngsters that having the latest brands… is their
‘right’ because ‘they’re worth it’ and encourages a culture that ‘you are what you own’” (Nairn,
2009). We found a void of programs or curricula that educate young girls on persuasive
marketing methods or help them become savvy consumers. We propose to fill this gap, through a
preventative informal learning experience of a short form news show and supporting website that
aims to increase consumer awareness by examining brand advertising and marketing,
investigating company practices and providing a platform for young girls to voice their opinions
about purchase decisions.
We find the topic of marketing and advertising particularly worthy of attention, because
companies often target young girls with stereotypical imagery and subliminal messaging when
trying to sell products. In a gender analysis of ads, research found that single-sex commercials
“portrayed girls in stereotypical domestic settings” (Larson, 2001). Without much effort, the
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BBRG found an abundance of racy ads aimed at young girls. As an example, the Skechers shoe
ad1, “Daddy’s money,”2 proves to be shocking on many levels. The name alone, “Daddy’s Money”
perpetuates the message of financial dependency on men to pay for “things.” This relays the
opposite message of empowering girls to foresee themselves as becoming financially independent
and self-sufficient. The ad reveals that inside the shoe there are “secret heels,” which provide two
extra inches of height. Disguised heels signal to girls that they are getting away with something
(to be taller or more grown up looking) without anyone else knowing [Appendix B]. The ad
confirms this notion since the girl actors cover their mouths with their pointer finger suggesting
that viewers (or buyers) also keep the hidden heels a secret. Lastly, lips are used throughout the ad
(for a shoe) and the actors blow kisses to the camera suggesting that this is how they thank their
benefactors for buying them shoes that make them appear more grown up. Marketing campaigns
like Skechers perpetuate stereotypes that value a girl’s appearance, body image, lack of agency,
sex, and shallowness. Because of the lack of ads portraying girls as critical thinkers, problem
solvers and mindful citizens, the BBRG includes marketing and advertising as part of The Flynn
Report curriculum to help girls become more aware of manipulative tactics, stereotypes, biases,
and subliminal messages prevalent in advertising campaigns.
The BBRG decided to target eight to ten-year-old girls because research suggests that
eight year olds are starting to develop an awareness of “profit motives of advertisers” (Oates et al.,
2002). While aware, this population may not yet fully understand the pervasiveness of marketing
efforts through all mediums (print, digital, small/large screens, product placements, etc.) or the
multi-faceted intent. Advertisers create a false interdependency between products and well-being,
self-esteem or a carefree lifestyle. The messaging that a particular product or brand will bring
happiness, confidence and popularity, such as in Coke’s “Open Happiness” campaign3, can be
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confusing to young girls who are discovering and shaping their identities through the media they
see (Joe Blatt, HT500 Lecture, 2013). Research confirms that children expect three qualities from
the commercial world: honesty about products and services, to be treated with respect and be
taken seriously, and to be shielded from inappropriate marketing and advertising of harmful
products (Nairn, 2009). Thus, this may indicate that children are wrongly presuming honesty and
truth in marketing and advertising since they expect such behavior from adults. Research also
reveals that while our audience knows that they are being advertised to, they still lack the
resources and skills to make informed, responsible purchasing decisions (Blades, Oates & Li,
2012). The Flynn Report will help young girls navigate confusing messages in advertisements, by
sharing information on persuasive tactics, creating a platform to exchange ideas and express
opinions, and providing research on brands, companies and products. Some critics might argue
that exposing young girls to the topic of consumerism may, in fact, drive them to become
consumers sooner than later. However, the BBRG believes that girls need information and open
dialogue to not only prepare them for a financially sound and independent future, but also to
educate them about deriving self-esteem from things they buy, falling victim to stereotypes
portrayed in the media, and making uninformed consumer purchases.
Goals and Objectives of This Project:
The Flynn Report is a novel program designed to help eight to ten year old girls engage in
fun, age-appropriate, informal learning experiences through a show and interactive website. The
over-arching goal is for our target audience to develop meta-cognitive skills and become wiser
consumers. The sub-goals of the program are three-fold:
● to spread awareness and promote financial literacy driving the ability to make smart
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choices with financial resources,
● to change their attitudes about consumerism, and
● to instill new behaviors that result in a think-before-you-buy mentality and an improved
understanding of delayed gratification
The key objectives of the program are:
● to generate awareness of biases in advertising and consumer habits and open up minds of
the target audience about products, quality and companies,
● to encourage questioning, research methods and investigative journalism, and
● to give the target audience a platform to voice opinions and participate in outreach
activities.
The Flynn Report aims to spark critical thinking in young girls and helping them discern content
in many forms of media.
Media Habits of Target Population
As reported in the study, “Generation M2,” media bears a significant impact on the lives
of young people. Media exposure in a typical day for children aged eight to ten years amounted to
nearly eight hours in 2009. The average number of hours spent by this segment of children in
using media on a typical day is between four to five hours (Rideout, V., U. G. Foehr, and D. F.
Roberts, 2010). Thus, it is not surprising that our target audience demographic is brand-conscious
and status driven. It is also reported that US Tween consumers spend $43 billion a year and have
an influence of $150 billion on household spending (Smith, 2013). BBRG is curious to discover
the nature of the connection between high media consumption and tween buying power and
intends to focus future research on this topic.
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Formative Evaluation and Resulting Revisions Initially, our target segment was comprised of both boys and girls, ages eight to twelve,
but this changed after conducting our first formative research study in a New England elementary
school in January, 2014. We interviewed six third-grade boys and girls in gendered groups to
understand their media consumption, practices and awareness about brands (Appendix A). While
the boys and girls shared some common ground, with both groups regularly accompanying a
parent on grocery shopping trips and identifying Target as their favorite retail chain for clothes,
shoes and toys, gender differences quickly emerged reflecting distinct tastes and preferences. The
boys spoke mostly of sports the use of gadgets (computers and tablets) to watch sports and play
sports games. And, one boy spoke of using the iPad to do math problems. They expressed a
strong dislike for commercials or stores that targeted girls. On the other hand, the girls spoke
more about shopping with their moms for clothes and shoes and their TV viewing habits. They
have developed strong connections to their favorite programs and characters yet, much of their
viewing does not take place through traditional channels, which they only watch “when it’s ok.”
The girls cited OnDemand, Netflix, and YouTube through both computers and tablets as ways
they engage with TV programs. When asked to describe a type of program they would like to
watch, the girls were very excited about the idea of cross-show remix, in which their favorites
from different programs meet up. Interestingly, the girls brought up honesty in advertising and
believed laws exist to prevent commercials from lying. Nevertheless, they had some conception
of advertising as “just wanting the money” and “they’re trying to sell you something.”
Insights from our formative research led us to re-segment our target population from eight
to twelve year olds to eight to ten year old girls. As the girls were already showing more frequent
interest in shopping, brand awareness and misinformation advertising, the BBRG saw the need to
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provide them with specific education about consumerism. We decided to reach middle-to-upper
class suburban girls because they have access to parent’s disposable income and are far more
likely to start spending money before they become financially conscious and independent.
Formative evaluation also confirmed that a humorous, entertaining show with live action,
animation and celebrity cameos appeals to young girls of this age. The BBRG intends to make
formative evaluations an ongoing process, through both our school and community partnerships,
in order to strengthen our program, respond to student needs, and keep our content current.
Design of This Project
We noted as Eisenberg (2010) states, that meaningful engagement with peers helps
children develop intellectually and socially. Based on this, The Flynn Report is specifically
designed for girls by girls to facilitate peer-engagement by featuring young girls as the reporters,
investigators and researchers, to provide positive role-models for the young audience viewing the
show. The prevention strategy we developed includes a multi-media approach of an investigative
news show, a website, and outreach materials. The magazine-style program features 15-minute
episodes that will mix animated and live-action segments to provide both entertainment and
informal learning. The show will serve as the main vehicle to discuss biases in advertising and
investigate companies and brands more deeply introducing meta-cognitive questioning. The
website supports the show’s efforts to generate awareness and encourage investigation by
providing a platform where the viewers can re-investigate brands, synthesize research, formulate
informed opinions and express their voices by voting on whether or not they would buy a
particular product. To complement the remote learning digital elements, the BBRG created
outreach materials, namely, parent-and-child viewer guides, curricular programs for Girl Scouts,
and an integrated merit badging system (to reward viewer participation) as part of a dissemination
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strategy for supporting the target audience through the school-community-home nexus.
Use Case
To better illustrate the media initiative, take, for example, an eight year old girl, Riley,
who asks her mom for a pair of UGG® boots because she sees an UGG advertisement, in which a
bunch of smiling, happy kids are wearing UGG boots. Riley presumes the boots will make her
happy too although she wonders if the boots are really expensive. At her Girl Scouts meeting the
next week, Riley learns a new way to earn badges, by becoming a wiser consumer through
watching a new show called The Flynn Report and participating in its accompanying activities.
The troop learns that The Flynn Report is “a girls news program for wiser consumers.” Riley goes
home and tells her mom what she learned and together they watch the pilot episode on Netflix.
They have a dialogue throughout the experience with the assistance of a parent/child co-viewing
packet that they downloaded from the show’s website. The show opens with Flynn, an animated
news anchor-girl, hosting from her anchor desk in the newsroom. Flynn announces that her
investigative research team chose the UGG brand to investigate by examining its advertising
campaigns and company profile. Flynn discusses a variety of UGG ads and examines related
media created by both the company and independent consumers. Flynn introduces her celebrity
guest, Ally from the Disney Channel’s Austin and Ally, (which happens to be Riley’s favorite
show), as the episode’s “roving reporter.” Ally is “on the scene” at a local mall. She examines the
product to investigate its quality and price and stops real shoppers to discover their opinions on
UGG boots. The show ends with Flynn in the newsroom, recapping the findings and encouraging
viewers to visit The Flynn Report website to vote on whether or not they would buy the product.
Riley not only finds herself entertained and intrigued by the appealing combination of animation,
live action, and celebrity cameos, but also is more informed about advertising, research methods
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and the UGG boot company. Moreover, she is inspired to see young girls like herself being
represented by the diverse news team. She had never before thought of being a news anchor,
researcher or reporter. When she clicks the link to the website, she discovers even more informal
learning opportunities. She is able to do her own investigations by clicking on links to the UGG
website and other related media including a BBRG curated playlist on YouTube with user-
generated videos showcasing various perspectives on UGG boots. To her delight, she can also
play games without even realizing that they are actually teaching her how to be financially literate.
Once she feels she has a thorough understanding of the UGG brand, she casts her vote to indicate
whether she would purchase a pair of UGG boots. Armed with a wealth of information, Riley
decides that UGG boots are indeed a good buy because of the product’s quality and the
company’s reputation.
At school the next day, Riley shares with her friends her new wisdom and opinions and
how she was able to formulate them. The group responds to how confident and informed Riley is
and are inspired to watch the show and learn how to research. Through the informal learning
experience of the show and website, they discover their own purchasing power by choosing to
buy or not buy something. They begin to ask themselves questions before they buy, such as: Is
this ad persuading me to buying something I don’t need? Is this a quality product? Does this
company’s manufacturing practices harm the earth and its people? Such questions heighten
awareness and shift attitudes about spending and consuming and ultimately instill in them better
habits, which will lead them to make wiser consumer choices throughout their lives. At her next
Girl Scouts meeting, Riley proudly receives a “Wise Consumer” badge for learning to do research,
examine brand ads more objectively, make an informed decision and express her opinion. This
honor inspires other girls in the troop to become wiser consumers too.
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Outreach Strategy
The BBRG outreach strategy has three facets: home, school, and community (Figure 1).
The program begins in the home with girls and their parents/caregivers using co-viewing guides
help engage both parties in the informal learning experience. The co-viewing guides encourage
conversations during and after the show to clarify and reinforce the skills Flynn and her team
present. Additionally, the guides explain the basic tenants of financial literacy so that children
have a reference guide to use. In the community, the Girl Scouts4 organization, with its hundred-
year history and an alumnae base of 59 million girls, are the ideal outreach partners for the BBRG
to disseminate the educational materials and nurture empowerment. Girl Scouts not only provide
the ideal vehicle to continue the dialogue, but also offer a robust badging system5 for the BBRG
to build upon and address a myriad of topics including financial literacy, social change, healthy
living, and healthy planet. Even further, the BBRG works with elementary schools and their after-
school programs to supply activity kits to teachers. Activity kits not only reinforce the program
objectives, but also provide opportunities to link consumerism to math skills and financial literacy
fundamentals. By building on family-school relationships, the BBRG will ensure that The Flynn
Report reaches those girls who are not involved in extra-curricular activities such as Girl Scouts.
The BBRG is steadfast in its commitment to grow The Flynn Report into a nationwide movement.
Figure 1: Outreach Strategy
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Dissemination
Dissemination for The Flynn Report rests on a central partnership with Netflix. With its
30 million customers (subscribers), Netflix provides both a broad reach and a segregated
children’s entertainment platform making it an ideal vehicle for The Flynn Report to reach young
girls across the US. Parents who will be the subscribers and content decision makers are central to
the BBRG’s strategy in education and dissemination strategy. The BBRG adds value to Netflix by
providing a unique children’s program in a genre that is both entertaining and educational. The
Flynn Report is an elegant blend of their Netflix Original programming and their investment in a
safe platform for younger viewers. The program is a result of research dedicated to the interests
and needs of young girls and backed by a qualified and passionate team of education
professionals. While the BBRG deems Netflix as the ideal partner, a similar relationship could be
cultivated through other key players in the digital space, namely Google, Hulu, or PBS. The
program design of short form segments allows curated clips of The Flynn Report to appear on
YouTube alongside amateur product reviews. Also, as our audience ages, user generated material
can be harvested from channels including Tumblr, Twitter, Facebook and future trending social
media platforms.
Impact Evaluation Plan
Efforts by the BBRG to conduct summative evaluation will help assess the impact of The
Flynn Report - an informal learning initiative. Summative measures include:
● conducting pre- and post-viewing surveys to detect changes in awareness,
● monitoring of ratings and web traffic to test attitude changes through participation,
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● reviewing of revenue reports from product companies to gauge buying behaviors.
Pre- and post-surveys could be distributed either by schools or community partners and would act
as evidence of changes from pre- to post-viewing awareness. Within these surveys, questions
regarding the audience’s knowledge of companies or brands reviewed on the show as well as the
knowledge of misleading advertisements that were not featured on the show serve as indicators of
the audience’s levels of awareness. Questions in the survey that elicit reports about investigative
behaviors, such as researching a company on the internet or discussing a product with others, help
measure improvements in the audience’s ability to conduct independent research. A control group
of a similar demographic in a different district, school, or community organization is necessary to
prevent word-of-mouth changes in awareness to influence budding investigative behaviors among
the target audience.
Website traffic offers additional evidence of investigative behavior in that the external
links clicked reveal what other sources of information the audience accessed while browsing The
Flynn Report website. Changes in action can be inferred from patterns in the links clicked, as well
as video sharing and linking activity, connected to The Flynn Report website and the YouTube
channel. Both online badges through the website and those awarded through the Girl Scouts
would demonstrate the amount of knowledge that the audience has over concepts in budgeting
and good credit once they reach Ambassador Girl Scouts level in their late teens. As shown in
gaming and social media sites, badging is not only a way to change user behavior but also to track
progress. Furthermore badges may inspire others to increase their participation. Again, website
traffic can be a way to measure changes in action, especially through the voting component. Once
the target population age out of the COPA6 (Child Online Protection Act) and are able to legally
post content, we will also be able to directly measure action through user generated content
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uploads on various social media platforms.
We intend to conduct longitudinal studies through schools or community partners in order
to compare the treatment group (the population exposed to The Flynn Report) with the control
group to measure differences in consumer awareness, attitudes, and behavior as our audience ages.
A two year study will generate data on emerging tweens as they begin to transition to teenagers
while a five year study will directly measure any lasting changes on teenage consumer awareness,
attitudes and behavior.
Conclusion
The BBRG urges you to support The Flynn Report, a girls news program for wise
consumers. This multimedia, informal learning experience fills an important gap in the education
of young girls, specifically the art of being an informed and conscious consumer. With the
growing media reach of advertising and marketing, it is critical that we offer an informational
program for eight to ten year old girls to educate them in financial literacy, media awareness,
research skills and critical thinking so that they can transition into teenagers with conscious
consumer habits. The design allows for dissemination through various digital, mobile, face-to-
face and print platforms. Through partnerships and outreach, the BBRG educational efforts reach
girls in homes, schools, organizations and communities, laying a solid foundation for expanding
the The Flynn Report into a nationwide movement to empower girls. Your support ensures that
the BBRG can continue to meet the needs of young girls.
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Appendix A
The print-ad of Skechers “Daddy’s Money”
Skechers Daddy’s Money Website:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2285709/Fury-Skechers-Daddy-Money-sneakers-Parents-condemn-bling-ads-shoes-tell-teens-spoiled-fathers-cash.html
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Appendix B
Formative research interview notes with elementary school boys and girls (as quoted).
Girls: Kim 8 yrs, Beth 9 yrs, Maya 8 yrs TV Shoes:
-‐ Austin and Ally -‐ Cyberchase -‐ Martha Speaks (Oh I like that.) -‐ Wild Kratz Adventures -‐ Alfred the Hedge Hog (A science one too) -‐ Sophie the First -‐ Scooby Doo
Watch after dinner and after my work is done Before school After school OnDemand Sometimes watch it live Most of the time on the TV Not on my Kindle because I don’t know how to get the shows Big head, small body cartoons Despicable Me and Frozen put together, that would be funny! News show for kids! Combine kids shows, the ideas and characters. Cross over shows as guests. Mixed cast shows, mixed media shows. They seem to love cameos. Disney, Nic, CN, Sprout, Disney Jr – check out the shows and do one like those. Kidsy Online (Games now apps) Club Pinguine (My friends used to, you have to have a password and I don’t know how to get one or set it up) Realism is important even in cartoons, or like Austin and Ally Shopping Target, Sears, and sometimes Old Navy, Justice Mom does size, I pick the design and color Mom sometimes buys it Target cause they have a lot of cool things Shoes from the Kids barn, not all of them fit me Uggs Fluffy, my cousin has them, puffy, warm, soft Very expensive! Birthday party Target, Target. Target Karaoke Machine, Kindle Fire, Nintendo DS Toy Horse (some important brand)
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Grocery shopping All the big brands If its for school, I get to pick out things We agree a menu for food stuffs Sometimes we get special food, but its not good for you Dogo Sites, Art, Spelling app. immediately moves around and zoom to new stuff. Basically IMMEDIATELT looking for games. Computer access is at school or after school program. Sometimes we watch TV, mostly we do homework or go outside. Daddys Girl (Sketchers) Shoes, Daddys Girl shoes, kinda like Ahhhhggrrrr Catchy song Frowny face to are you interested Its okay but they are screaming a lot The shoes are cool, but I wonder if the come in different colors… 5th Grade, older… Too aggressive Flavored chapstick, its cool and good for you. Not actually make up. (the little ball) Advertising Disney – stuffed animals, some commercials they just really want the money. They make it look cool but its probably boring. Sometimes I know they are not being honest. Small lunch boxes for example, all that food would never fit! Cloths, not true, cause it says “they will stay on and never come off” (these kids are not stupid) You don’t really know The law would not let them say it if it were not true You shouldn’t, I mean you cant, modify the thing so it looks big They just want the money! Or they say, Oh that’s a good deal, when its still a lot of money. Don’t like pandering Girls: · Age 8- Kim (Caucasian), Age 9- Beth (Indian), Age 8- Maya (Caucasian) · Tv show Maya really shy/quiet Beth flower really quiet and head down Kim more talkative Kim -combine shows? Shows- Beth/Maya warming up “Wild Cats” Maya perking up Disney, Cartoon Network, Nick, Sprout · Games online
Boys: · Ages 8, Brady, Roland, Westley (all Caucasian) · Bday- all talking · Roland quitter · Westleyereally talkative! · Shopping: Brady fidgety Lots of Grocery shopping Roland looking away · Afterschool Taking turns Westley- hip hop class
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Kidsy? Club Penguin- Password hard, don’t know how to set it up (Maya) · Kim- doesn’t like Cartoon Network Talking to Maya about Characters (animated talking about them) · As cartoons · Kim- Despicable me 2 and Frozen combined Combined shows would be funny · Kim Target, Sears, ON Target is fav brand, but for shoes: kids barn Uggs are fluffy and warm, Cousin has them, very expensive · Beth -Justice · Maya -Target Doesn’t know about Uggs · Bday gifts- Target · Kim Karaoke Machine and Kindle Fire · Maya also has a Kindle Fire · Kim- knows sweets not healthy (gets distracted talking to Donovan) · Project- Google · Afterschool Program- Goes to computer lab and watches TV · We show commercial: No reaction during Kim -smirk (response: “Rah” making fun of how overwhelming) · Don’t like makeup, but EOS chap stick (good for you-not makeup) · Kim- Disney ads for new shoes and stuffed animal Some commercials Want money so they make it look cool but its not as good (ex. Lunchboxes) · Maya don’t really know about truth (think they are true because law would let the say if not) · Kim- just want money · Kim- be truthful about price, look on computer to make sure its true But some things aren’t true online (Maya -go get a book) · Beth not paying attention
Roland -sports Westley hw and piano hw and ipad for mind craft Roland nickelodeon-games Brady mindcraft · Don’t like any stores Westley except toy dept · Game stop · Don’t really seem to care about clothes · Trailers make them want to see movies · Brady more talkative with movies · Calculator · Westley ask people there or teacher Less excited talking about research Dad doesn’t let Brady on computer Westley gets wiggly Westley doesn’t like love · We show commercial Brady smirk Roland and Brady giggly-said it was funny Westley- its not bad but fast Roland voice funny Sell shoes to girls (age 10-20) Quick commercial (no other response to bad) Weird shoes · Brady Camel commercial Roland -Geiko Brady and Roland are giggly with camel commercial
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· Kim- store and check or ask librarian
Questions Student1 Student2 Student3
Names Brady Roland Westley
What do you shop for, where?
wooden toys to get my sister stuff my sister goes to clothes stores - Abercrombie
at least every week or on the weekends, mostly food, sometimes gifts for people. sometimes we need to go to the next town Waltham called BJs ,sometimes, we go to whole foods and trader joes, sometimes we go to a trader joes in cambridge. I also go to Target
What about grocery items? Do you choose?
fav food to buy: chips candy bars - healthy stuff, I try to keep myself health. No, sometimes i ask her for a certain type of cereal, she says patience, and you don’t get upset.
Do you shop for clothes, where?
sometimes with my mom for clothes. not really- I just go to Sports Authority. I usually go with my dad to get football to get camp or sports stuff
we usually go to the Gap
actually my mom finds it and if I like it or not. sometimes we get clothes at target, right across the street there is a big mall, there is a GAP, old Navy
Describe what you are wearing, do you like the logos on clothes?
I like having sports stuff on Tees
I like having sports stuff on Tees
I dont know any of it.. I mean there are all nice. sometimes I see minecrafts stuff and some silly starwars shirts. I remember seeing darthvader taking stuff
What do you do after school?
in the summer I play football after school and usually after that I go home and shoot on my soccer nets. I play on Xbox - Wii
all sports - we play sports, play with friends, watch T.V
after school, go to the academy, sometimes mcdonald's academy of martial arts and sometimes when I get home, i do homework, which I'm never happy about.. I have piano homework which I’m happy about
Do you watch T.V?
we watch Tv , yes mostly iPad, sometimes TV. games on the iPad , minecraft , jiving around, walking around, Roxy
How did you learn about it?
my mom told me
What is your favorite show?
I have this thing on my Tv -and its college sports - besides golf, I
the thunderman phineas and ferb.I like golf, my grandpa gave me a putting green and I have a mini golf course
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don't like golf
What did you get for Christmas or your birthday?
target gift card gamestop card, lego game stop card
Who decides what to buy?
I decide my mom doesn't know anything about boys
what is the coolest gift, why?
coolest thing I got is iPod, christmas - trampoline chair
pogo stick - coolest christmas gift not birthday, I'm not sure, really. I have this roller coaster building set, pinball machine, like baseball, voice activated a2 d2
what is your favorite food?
I like pizza I like mac and cheese
Showed the Skechers ad and asked for their reactions
I would like to see that - its funny. they want to sell it to girls, it was quick
I didn't like it. It was a bit funny, the voice was funny. teenagers, 10 and up, and there are wierd shoes
its a little fast- its not so bad, it is abt shoes
What don’t you like about the commercial/commercials?
there is this commercial about dresses and stuff, I hate it because it has all girl stuff and it is so quick
we don't like quick stuff
they want people to understand what this is about, people might want to buy it but the commercial is too fast for them to understand
do you use the computer? What for?
I like to go to play this game - minecraft on the computer
I like to go on nickelodeon, play games on the computer
I do extra math on it. I dont use it for things like that, last night I saw my brother playing a game, pbd is too easy for me, so I switch to ipad and play games, my brother is 5 and was using the computer
Do you have siblings? How old are they?
I have 4 yr and older sis. I have cousins -
I have a 14 yr old sis
what do you like to do with friends when you hang out?
sports stuff sports stuff I have play-dates, sometimes we go to each others' houses, we build train setups
What are your favorite stores?
I like going to sports authority and target. some places my mom doesnt go with me, she hates the place, to get
I like sports stores. I like the game stop
I like going to Russos. I don’t like any of the stores, I kind of like marshalls, it has toys, but its messy .the best part is the escalators, there is a bridge indoors where people walk. I like going to Toys
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the food to feed my fish. my mom likes target because my sisters friends dad works there
R Us - we never go there, there is no one inside, we get most toys from target
what is your favorite cereal?
frosted flakes frosted flakes raisin bran - no sugar cereal. white christmas only once a year
What is your favorite movie or TV show?
fav movie: the Nut job. we watch a movie every month, when my aunt comes from ireland. we all agree , sometimes I dont agree
no idea, so far, Turbo
do you watch commercials on TV? What do you like about it?
I like new episodes of shows and movies - commercials
I like new episodes of shows and movies,video game commercials - sport video games
I like watching commercials - only thing I hate is medicine - its pretty boring. I like car commercials
what do you do when you have homework and you have to investigate something?
ask my mom- my mom usually knows it, if my dad doesnt know, he uses calculator , he lets my sister use the calc but doesnt let me know
if I’m stuck on a problem , I ask my mom or dad or sister
I ask anybody who is there, and if I can't figure it out I'd ask the teacher
On science fair: I’ve done them: falcon animals - scorpion, gorilla
I’m not really sure
How did they find out:
books, online, did it all on school. google - we went to find it on google. coz my dad and mom have tight work schedule, my dad has to work late and mom too, so sometimes they sleep during the day. my dad is a cop my mom is a nurse. I usually do my homework when mom is home.
book or online. Google
On what would be a good idea for a show by kids for kids:
sports - football, baseball
video game - baseball video game
toys and marble ones- so using your imagination you could build , also train setups are cool too
On funny shows:
wipeout on abc and funny shows
the thundermans on nick
usually, spongebob and i like wipeout, spongebob is a weird sponge, I’m not sure why I like it
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boring shows? boring - girl shows. dancing with the stars is boring
I dont like grown up shows -the news -
football is boring- sometimes I like it sometimes it is boring- its 2hrs,
What do you think about the news?
I dont like it - unless it says school is off
I dont like it - unless it says school is off
I hate the news and I hate shows full of love and kissing- that is just ridiculous
on another commercial (Gieco ad) with a camel
its a commercial with a camel, its progressive -for insurance
or maybe it is gieco when the commercials are too fast they wont understand and they wont buy it
Would you be interested in a news show for kids? Why?
yea - we would be interested in something
we would watch news if it was funny
to help other people and spread messages to the whole world
what do you think about the ads?
on football games, so the coach can get money to pay the players. sometimes ads changes our minds about buying stuff
Would you be interested to appear in kids' news show?
that would be funny - if kids were the weather people. oh I'd be on TV!
that would be better, I'd be nervous
I'm not sure really
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Appendix C
The following screen-shots illustrate the design of The Flynn Report website.
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Research bibliography Blades, M., Oates, C., & Li, S. (2012). Children’s recognition of advertisements on
television and on Web pages. Appetite, 62, 190–3.
doi:10.1016/j.appet.2012.04.002
Eisenberg, Michael (2010). Educational technology, reimagined. In Marina
Umaschi Bers, issue editor. New media and technology: Youth as content
creators. New directions for youth development: Theory, practice, research, 128.
pp.25-33.
Jiyane, G., & Zawada, B. (2013). Sustaining Informal Sector Women Entrepreneurs
through Financial Literacy. Libri, 63(1), 47–56. doi:10.1515/libri-2013-0004
Larson, M. S., King, M. L., & Kennedy, R. (2003). Gender , Race , and Aggression
in Television Commercials That Feature Children, 48(January).
Nairn, A. (2008). Consumer kids - the influence of the commercial world on our
children, 22(1), 54–61.
Oates, C., Blades, M. and Gunter, B. (2002), Children and television advertising:
when do they understand persuasive intent?. Journal of Consumer Behaviour, 1:
238–245. doi: 10.1002/cb.69
Rideout, V., U. G. Foehr, and D. F. Roberts. (2010) Generation M2 Media in the
Lives of 8-to18-Year-Olds. A Kaiser Family Foundation Study.
Smith G. (2013) Tweens R’ Shoppers: A Look at the Tween Market & Shopping
Behavior. POPAI The Global Association for Marketing at Retail.
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Endnotes and references 1. http://www.ispot.tv/ad/7AgE/daddys-money-secret-wedges-extreme-height
2. http://www.skechers.com/brands/daddy-s-money
3. http://us.coca-cola.com/happiness/
4. www.girlscouts.org
5. http://forgirls.girlscouts.org/tag/badges/
6. http://www.copacommission.org/
Experts Consulted
We consulted Liying Shen, our teaching fellow, along with, Uche Amaechi,
another teaching fellow, throughout the phases of our project. Our target audience during
formative research comprised of six elementary school boys and girls, eight years of age.
We pitched our idea to the expert panel - Dorothea Gillim, David Peth, Danielle Martin
and Miles Ludwig, the slides of which are provided in the following section.