Task One

Statement of the Problem

What are the effects of foreign mass media on the behavior of teenagers of Sangre Grande Secondary School?

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Task Two

Reason for selecting area of research

Our world is at an historical juncture where by mass media hasarguably become the most dominant force in defining one’s senseof self; and for generating a common culture that lies with eachsocietal groups. According to Carol Matoo, 2010; “The arms of themedia, which include television, internet, radio and print arefar reaching tentacles that fan out to impressionable youngminds, so much so that many youths try to emulate what isdivulged from such forms of media.

Trinidad and Tobago is located in the tail-end of the Caribbean.However the permeation of mass media with our gates is certainlyprominent. There exists in our country urban and ruralcommunities. Sangre Grande Secondary School is located in SangreGrande, the North East corridor of Trinidad. I have noticed,over the years, the vast number of demands for technology in thearea. The town of Sangre Grande is fast growing with its newlybuilt infrastructures such as schools, community centres, variousbusinesses and institutions and mass media is one of the sustainfactors in all establishments. Disregarding the fact that SangreGrande is still semi-rural in nature, mass media has impactedtremendously on the lives of the villagers; more so the schoolsthat lie within.

There were many arguments about the influence of mass media onthe psychological development of children and youths. As a youthmyself, attended Sangre Grande Secondary School for the past fouryears; I saw the correlation of the advancement of mass media andthe lifestyle changes of the youths – be it negative or positive.The communications offered by the varying types of mass mediaMargaret Mangla – School Based Assesment – Social Studies Page | 2

were extremely contagious as everything we did or said was publicknowledge. There was a rapid increase in the permeation of allforms of media: cellphones, internet, computers etc., whichdirected the minds of us, youths.

With every inception came repercussion. The prolong usage ofsocial media such as Facebook, twitter, instagram was a hugehindrance. The improper use of cellphones and electronic deviceshad allegedly assisted in school violence, bullying, lewdbehavious and negative lifestyle changes. As such, this area offocus assisted in concretizing the issue at hand.

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Task Three

Method of investigation

The method of investigation used for this project was in the formof a questionnaire. thirty questionnaires were distributed; eachquestionnaire contains twenty questions.

The advantages of using the questionnaire are:

1) The questionnaire was used because a lot of information canbe collected in a short space of time.

2) It is confidential 3) It also facilitate easy data analysis, though the use of

structured questions.

The disadvantages of using the questionnaire are:

1) All questionnaires may not be returned.2) All questions may not be answered.3) Students may select more than one answer for each question.

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Survey or the effects of foreign mass media in Sangre Grande Secondary School.

Dear student,

This is a survey being carried out in Sangre Grande SecondarySchool, to determine the effects of foreign mass media on thebehavior of students. This study is being conducted as anassignment for a social studies project. I am at presentpursuing.

You are advised to answer the following questions honestly andtruthfully. Since you do not have to write your name anywhere, noone will ever know who answered in a particular way. Rememberthis is not a test. There are no rights or wrong answered by acheck in a bracket like this ( ). Specific instructions aregiven where necessary.

Thank you.

Yours sincerely,

………………………………

Margaret Mangla

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Task Four

Data collection Instrument

INSTRUCTION: Tick ( ) ONE answer for EACH question in the bracket provided.

What is your gender?Male ( ) female ( )

What age group do you belong to?11-13 ( )14-16 ( )17-19 ( )

What form do you belong to?Form 1 ( ) Form 4 ( )Form 2 ( ) Form 5 ( )Form 3 ( )

What ethnic group do you belong to?African descent ( ) Chinese descent ( )East Indian descent ( ) Spanish descent ( )Mixed ( )

1. Mass media is communication whether written, broadcast, or spoken that reaches a large audience.a. Agree ( )b. Disagree ( )c. Strongly agree ( )d. Strongly disagree ( )

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2. Do you use foreign mass media for educational and entertainment purposes?a. Agree ( )b. Disagree ( )c. Strongly agree ( )d. Strongly disagree ( )

3. What do you use foreign mass media for the most?a. Educational purposes ( )b. Entertainment purposes ( )

4. What forms of foreign mass media do use the most?a. Television ( )b. Radio ( )c. Computer ( )d. Internet ( )e. Magazine ( )

5. How much foreign media do you have access to?a. None ( )b. A little ( )c. Some ( )d. A lot ( )

6. Does your parent/s monitor what you view on the internet at home? a. Always ( )b. Sometimes ( )c. Never ( )

7. What effect does foreign mass media have on the behavior of teenagers at Sangre Grande Secondary School?

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a. Positive ( )b. Negative ( )

8. In what area is teenagers affected positively the most by foreign mass media at this school?a. Dress ( )b. Music ( )c. Movies ( )d. Educational ( )

9. In what area is teenagers affected negatively the most by foreign mass media at this school?a. Dress ( )b. Music ( )c. Movies ( )d. Educational ( )

10. What foreign mass media is used the most for educational purposes by teenagers at Sangre Grande Secondary School?a. Internet ( )b. Newspaper/magazines ( )c. Television ( )d. Radio ( )

11. What gender is affected by foreign mass media the most? a. Males ( ) b. Females ( )

12. Do you think that delinquent behavior by the students in a contribution factor of foreign mass media at this school? a. Agree ( )

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b. Disagree ( )c. Strongly agree ( )d. Strongly disagree ( )

13. Does foreign mass media decrease family values in teenagers at Sangre Grande Secondary School?a. Agree ( )b. Disagree ( )c. Strongly agree ( )d. Strongly disagree ( )

14. Does foreign mass media increase the need for entertainment during school hours by teenagers at Sangre Grande Secondary School?a. Agree ( )b. Disagree ( )c. Strongly agree ( )d. Strongly disagree ( )

15. Does foreign mass media influence the use of alcohol and illegal drug abuse by teenagers of Sangre Grande Secondary?a. Agree ( ) b. Disagree ( )c. Strongly agree ( )d. Strongly disagree ( )

16. Does foreign mass media influences the viewing of pornography by teenagers at Sangre Grande Secondary School?a. Agree ( )b. Disagree ( )

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c. Strongly agree ( )d. Strongly disagree ( )

17. Do you think that the students who get in trouble are influenced by foreign mass media at this school?a. Agree ( )b. Disagree ( ) c. Strongly agree ( )d. Strongly disagree ( )

18. What kind of behavior is seen the most from teenagers who are influenced by foreign mass media at Sangre Grande Secondary School?a. Vulgarity ( )b. Delinquency ( )c. Drug and alcohol ( )d. Promiscuity ( )

19. Should the government ban the access of unethical and vulgarcontent to teenagers in Trinidad and Tobago?a. Agree ( )b. Disagree ( )c. Strongly agree ( )d. Strongly disagree ( )

20. What do you think is the most effective method of solving the problems our teenagers are having with foreign mass media at Sangre Grande Secondary School?a. Better parental supervision ( )b. The government should ban unethical and vulgar content

in our country. ( )c. Certain sites should be blocked by the school. ( )

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Task Five

Procedure for Data Collection

The data that will be required for any School Based Assessmenttopic ought to be empirical and accurate. The questionnaire thatwas formulated needed to be distributed so that it encapsulatedthe entire school. The method used to distribute thequestionnaires was a Stratified Random Sampling Approach.According to Y. Williams et al 2003, Stratified Random Sample is apopulation sample that requires the population to be divided intosmaller groups, called strata. Random samples can be taken fromeach stratum. At Sangre Grande Secondary School the thirty (30)questionnaires were distributed among fifteen males and fifteenfemales.

On the 29th of September, 2014 at 12:01 p.m. the thirtyquestionnaires were distributed among one class from level: Forms1 to 5. Six students were randomly chosen from each level: threemales and three females. Each student was given approximatelyfive to seven minutes to respond to the questionnaire. At theend of the exercise all the questionnaires were completed andreturned. The process ended at 12:45 p.m.

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