"Using cultural studies as its conceptual framework and reception analysis as its methodology, this study investigated and accounted for the oppositional readings that subaltern black South African youths negotiate from Tsha Tsha, an E-E television drama on HIV and AIDS in South Africa. Results from
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the study show that HIV and AIDS messages in Tsha Tsha face substantial resistances from situated youth viewers whose social contexts of consumption, shared identities, quotidian experiences and subjectivities, provide critical lines along which the E-E text is often resisted and inflected. These findings do not only hold several implications for E-E practice and research, they further reflect the utility of articulating cultural studies and reception analysis into a more nuanced theoretical and methodological framework for evaluating the ‘impact’ of E-E interventions on HIV and AIDS." (Abstract)
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"Edutainment, the combination of education with entertainment through various media such as television, radio, mobile phone applications and games, is increasingly being used as an approach to stimulate innovation and increase agricultural productivity amongst smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan Afri
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ca. Shamba Shape Up, a widely publicised makeover reality TV programme, is an example of edutainment that has received considerable attention, and airs in three countries in East Africa where it is estimated to be watched by millions of viewers.
There is no published academic research on the influence of makeover television formats on innovation systems and processes in smallholder agriculture. Using an Agricultural Innovation Systems approach, this paper explores how makeover edutainment is influencing smallholder farmer innovation systems together with the effect this is having on smallholder farms. In the absence of previous research, it articulates a Theory of Change which draws on research traditions from mass communication, agricultural extension and innovation systems. Data came from two large scale quantitative (n=9885 and n=1572) surveys and in-depth participatory qualitative research comprising focus group discussions, participatory budgets, agricultural timelines, case studies and key information interviews in Kenya. An estimated 430,000 farmers in the study area were benefiting from their interaction with the programme through increased income and / or a range of related social benefits including food security, improving household health, diversification of livelihood choices, paying school fees for children and increasing their community standing / social capital.
Participatory research showed SSU enhanced an already rich communication environment and strengthened existing processes of innovation. It helped set the agenda for discussions within farming communities about opportunities for improving smallholder farms, while also giving specific ideas, information and knowledge, all in the context of featured farm families carefully selected so that a wide range of viewers would identify with them and their challenges.
Broadcasts motivated and inspired farmers to improve their own farms through a range of influences including entertainment, strong empathy with the featured host farm families, the way ideas emerged through interaction with credible experts, and importantly through stimulating widespread discussion and interaction amongst and between farmers and communities of experts on agricultural problems, solutions and opportunities. The fact that local extension workers also watched the programmes further enhanced the influence on local innovation systems. The findings indicate that well designed makeover edutainment can strongly influence agricultural innovation processes and systems resulting in impact on the agricultural production and behaviours of large numbers of smallholder farmers." (Abstract)
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"Experiencias de gamificación en el aula" es el segundo libro de está temática que está organizado por investigadores del Observatorio de Comunicación, Videojuegos y Entretenimiento del Instituto de la Comunicación de la Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona (InCom-UAB) y de la Universidad de Vic
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- Universidad Central de Cataluña (UVic-UCC). Los editores hemos considerado necesario ampliar las experiencias que se están desarrollando en las aulas y se ha extendido en esta ocasión a aulas de primaria y secundaria. Nuestro objetivo es anclar el concepto "gamificación" en el creciente cuerpo de literatura sobre esta área y demostrar ejemplos prácticos en asignaturas reales." (Resumen)
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"Computerspiele sind Kulturgut. Sie sind etablierte und treibende Kraft gesellschaftlicher Transformationsprozesse in der Freizeitgestaltung und des Medienkonsums zu Unterhaltungszwecken. Aber lassen sich gerade in kommerziellen Spielen – sogenannten off-the-shelf games – auch Bildungspotenziale
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entdecken? Können sie also für die Vermittlung von Wissen insbesondere im schulischen Kontext nutzbar gemacht werden? Dieser Frage widmete sich das Praxisforschungsprojekt „Spielend lernen!“ des Grimme-Forschungskollegs an der Universität zu Köln. Hier wurden mithilfe zentraler Zielgruppen in einer Reihe von Expert*innen-Workshops kritische Stellschrauben (technisch, konzeptionell und pädagogisch) identifiziert und davon ausgehend Gelingensbedingungen spezifiziert, unter denen das Medium Computerspiel ein sinnvolles Werkzeug in Schule und Unterricht sein kann. Um der Vielschichtigkeit der Thematik und der unterschiedlichen fachdidaktischen Bedarfe gerecht zu werden, wurde der Fokus bewusst breit gehalten und nicht auf spezielle Fächer eingegrenzt. Band 5 der Schriftenreihe zur digitalen Gesellschaft des Landes NRW fasst wesentliche Perspektiven des Praxisforschungsprojektes noch einmal zusammen. Dadurch, dass hier in stärkerem Maße als bislang die Nutzbarmachung kommerzieller digitaler Spiele als Vehikel für die Wissensvermittlung gerade auch im Rahmen formeller Kontexte akzentuiert wird, nimmt dieses Buch eine zur Mainstream-Debatte komplementäre Perspektive ein, aus der sich wertvolle Erkenntnisse für weitere Forschung und medienpädagogische Praxis generieren lassen." (Verlagsbeschreibung)
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"Entertainment-education (EE) began as a communication approach that uses both entertainment and education to engender individual and social change, but is emerging as a distinct theoretical, practice, and evidence-based communication subdiscipline. EE has roots in oral and performing arts tradition
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s spanning thousands of years, such as morality tales, religious storytelling, and the spoken word. Modern-day EE, meanwhile, is produced in both fiction and nonfiction designs that include many formats: local street theater, music, puppetry, games, radio, television, and social media. A classic successful example of EE is the children’s television program Sesame Street, which is broadcast in over 120 countries. EE, however, is a strategy that has been successfully planned, implemented, and evaluated in countries around the world for children and adults alike. EE scholarship has traditionally focused on asking, “Does it work?” but more recent theorizing and research is moving toward understanding how EE works, drawing from multidisciplinary theories. From a research standpoint, such scholarship has increasingly showcased a wide range of methodologies. The result of these transformations is that EE is becoming an area of study, or subdiscipline, backed by an entire body of theory, practice, and evidence. The theoretical underpinnings, practice components, and evidence base from EE may be surveyed via the peer- reviewed literature published over the past 10 years. However, extensive work in social change from EE projects around the world has not all made it into the published literature. EE historically began as a communication approach, one tool in the communication toolbox. Over time, the nascent approach became its own full-fledged strategy focused on individual change. Backed by emerging technologies, innovative examples from around the globe, and new variations in implementation, it becomes clear that the field of EE is emerging into a discrete theoretical, practice, and evidence-based subdiscipline within communication that increasingly recognizes the inherent role of individuals, families, communities, organizations, and policies on improving the conditions needed for lasting social change." (Summary)
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"Does social influence exerted through role modeling of collective action impact social change in contexts that are not conducive to collective action, such as long-lasting violent conflicts? We examined this question in two field experiments in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. We created t
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wo versions of an episode of an existing media intervention (a show aiming to promote positive social change), in which fictional characters either planned collective action (role modeling condition), or did not plan action (control condition) to address grievances. In Study 1, role modeling affected individual-level outcomes: it increased perceived collective efficacy and willingness to take action, but exacerbated intergroup attitudes and reduced tolerance. Study 2 tested the influence of role modeling on a group-level outcome (group discussions). Discussions following the role modeling show focused less on grievances, and included more positive lessons of the show, as well as more statements about collective efficacy and collective action. The findings highlight the influence of role modeling of collective action through media on efficacy and action for social change, but caution against unintended consequences on intergroup attitudes." (Abstract)
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"This book is the perfect guide to aspiring storytellers as it illustrates the different manner of how and why stories are told, and how to make them "interactive." Storytelling features heavy game development as a method of storytelling and delivery, and how to develop compelling plots, characters,
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settings, and actions inside a game. The concept of digital storytelling will be explored, and how this differs from previous incarnations of mediums for stories." (Publisher description)
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"Makutano Junction is an ‘edutainment’ soap opera made for local TV stations in Kenya and other East African countries. The show is about a fictional peri-urban village and the people who live in it. The program is made in Kenya, but was devised and is produced by Mediae, a UK based company that
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works with the support and collaboration of some major Kenyan and international NGOs. Mediae was founded by the producers David Campbell and Kate Lloyd Morgan. Since it began broadcasting in 2007 Makutano Junction has become one of the most popular shows on Kenyan TV; currently around 8 million viewers watch it every week, which is about 20% of the country’s entire population. Mediae have created a small stable of TV and radio shows mostly for Kenya, but also for Tanzania, Uganda and Rwanda. They all give rural Africans access to the latest information and discussions about issues that concern them. The themes and plotlines for these shows are informed by extensive and careful research in the field, conducted by themselves or partner organisations.
Some of Mediae’s work is highly innovative. An example of this is the show Shamba Shape Up, which is also a major hit in Kenya and neighbouring countries. Shamba means ‘farm’ in Swahili, and as the title suggests it’s a kind of small farm makeover show. So presenters and experts visit smallholding farmers, and on camera, discuss problems that they might be having, with animal health, crop yield, market strategies etc, and consider solutions and strategies. Then they put a plan into action, and have a follow up show to see the results. Some 10 million viewers across East Africa view this show every week, even more than Makutano Junction. A very important aspect of this show is its associated app; I-Shamba, with which farmers are able to use mobile phones to access a database of up to the minute information and advice. Once remote smallholding farmers are increasingly connecting, interacting and educating themselves through this special show and app." (Page 99-100)
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"Can the mass media cause changes in an audience’s knowledge, attitudes and intention to practise behaviours? At BBC Media Action, we have just successfully conducted a randomised control trial (RCT) to investigate this chain of causality in a prime time health TV drama in Bangladesh." (Introducti
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on)
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"The aim of this article is to further knowledge of the explanatory processes of narrative persuasion in the field of health communication, using data obtained in a research study of entertainment-education based on audiovisual fiction. Participating in the study were 208 young persons between the a
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ges of 14 and 20, randomly distributed to three different groups. Each of the groups was exposed to a different episode of the Colombian television series Revelados, desde todas as posiciones. The results showed that greater identification with the main character of the episode transmitting a prevention message was associated with greater cognitive elaboration, which in turn led to more favorable attitudes toward the topics addressed. However, counterarguing was not observed to play a significant mediating role. The findings of this study allow us to conclude that getting people to think and reflect can help persuade them, which suggests that narrative persuasion models and dual models of rhetorical persuasion can be compatible in certain contexts, such as when messages are designed in such a way that characters make explicit arguments that endorse a prosocial message through dialogues." (Abstract)
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"Aus der Perspektive der Rezeptions- und Wirkungsforschung stellt sich die Frage, wie mediale Kommunikation dazu beitragen kann, dass Menschen klimabewusster handeln. Die bisherigen Ergebnisse zeigen, dass viele der typischen Darstellungsformen des Klimawandels - wie Katastrophenbilder - eher kontra
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produktiv wirken. Die vorliegende Arbeit widmet sich deswegen der Frage, welche Medieneigenschaften klimaschonendes Handeln positiv unterstützen. Den theoretischen Ausgangspunkt bildet das Forschungsfeld Nachhaltigkeitskommunikation. Der hier verortete Ansatz der Handlungsorientierung nimmt an, dass Menschen in Lernsituationen selbst aktiv handeln müssen, damit sie das Gelernte in ihren Alltag übertragen. Handeln wird durch fünf Merkmalen charakterisiert: Intentionalität, Erstellen eines Produktes, Handlungsspielraum, Bewusstheit des Handelns und der Prozesscharakter. Hieraus werden Gestaltungsempfehlungen für ein Online-Spiel formuliert und Variablen für die empirische Studie abgeleitet. Als zweite theoretische Säule wird das Forschungsfeld "Interactive Storytelling" erschlossen und das dramentheoretische Modell von Lessing ausgewählt. Um das entwickelte Variablenmodell zu testen, wird das Online-Spiel "RED - Renewable Energy Drama" (ca. 10 Spielminuten) konzipiert. Es thematisiert das Stromsparen im eigenen Haushalt. Eine quantitative Online-Befragung (n=287) prüft die theoretischen Annahmen, ergänzend werden Interaktionsdaten aus dem Spielverlauf erfasst. Die Ergebnisse der Studie zeigen, dass ein hoher Alltagsbezug der entscheidende Faktor ist. Stehen verschiedene, alltagsnahe Möglichkeiten zur Verfügung, um eine Aufgabe zu lösen (Handlungsspielraum), dann denken die Spieler stärker darüber nach, wie sie diese Aufgabe üblicherweise zuhause lösen (Bewusstheit). Dies wiederum hat einen positiven Effekt auf alle Dimension von Handlungskompetenz: die Spielenden haben den Eindruck, alltagstaugliche Heuristiken zum Stromsparen zu lernen, sich die Bedeutung ihres eigenen Handelns für den Klimaschutz bewusst zu machen und eigene Verhaltensweisen zu reflektieren und/oder zu verändern. Einen ebenso positiven Effekt hat es, wenn das Feedback zu den gelösten Aufgaben als hilfreich bewertet wird, was besonders dann der Fall ist, wenn Verhaltensalternativen miteinander verglichen werden. Auch Spielcharaktere, die ein realistisches Verhalten mit typischen, konfligierenden Gedanken und Gefühle in alltäglichen Entscheidungssituationen zeigen, haben einen positiven Effekt auf die Handlungskompetenz." (Zusammenfassung)
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"La radio en Bolivia tiene una larga historia, iniciada desde los ensayos experimentales de la propagación de ondas radioeléctricas operados mucho antes de la llegada y madurez de esta tecnología, en 1929. La presencia de este medio ha estado marcada desde su inicio por su acompañamiento estrech
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o a la dinámica social y cultural del pueblo boliviano. Asimismo, ha sido pionera de la introducción de formas de hacer radio que décadas después aparecerían como propuestas teóricas en el campo teórico de la comunicación social. La radio es y ha sido un medio democratizador de la palabra, y esta cualidad tiene como elemento determinante la cualidad oral de la sociedad boliviana resultado de su carácter indígena-originario. La metodología de la educación por entretenimiento se propone mundialmente como un recurso para generar procesos de cambio social, y dentro de ella se ejecuta en Bolivia el Programa "Voces nuestras", que reaviva la experiencia de contar historias para cambiar vidas." (Resumen)
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"Through an action media methodology, various participatory, grassroots, and traditional media methods, such as role plays, movie screenings, and drawing, were used with eight HIV-positive children to empower them to collectively respond to better treatment adherence. The paper demonstrates how, thr
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ough a process of participatory methodologies, the young children developed a cricital consciousness about their lived experiences and were empowered to actively participate in decision making and their right to treatment." (Abstract)
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"This book is intended as a guide on the use of the visual media for behavior change communication. It is not intended as a textbook for those just entering the world of television or film writing and production. While there are some reminders of good writing and production techniques for many progr
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amming types, the emphasis is on what needs to be taken into account when designing, writing, and producing television programs that have a specific behavior change objective." (Preface)
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"This paper makes a critical appraisal of the impact of folksongs in entertainment education. The paper adopts historical methodology and is anchored on the social learning theory." (Abstract)
"Entertainment education and the promotora model are 2 evidence-based health communication strategies. This study examined their combined effect on promoting healthy eating among mothers in a family-based intervention. Participants were 361 Mexican-origin families living in Imperial County, Californ
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ia, who were randomly assigned to an intervention or delayed treatment condition. The intervention involved promotoras (community health workers) who delivered 11 home visits and 4 telephone calls. Home visits included a 12-minute episode of a 9-part situation comedy depicting a family struggling with making healthy eating choices; an accompanying family workbook was reviewed to build skills and left with the family. Baseline and immediate postintervention data were collected from the mothers, including the primary outcome of daily servings of fruits and vegetables. Other dietary and psychosocial factors related to healthy eating were examined. At postintervention, mothers in the intervention reported increases in daily vegetable servings (p <= .05); however, no changes were observed in fruit consumption. Improvements were observed in behavioral strategies to increase fiber (p <= .001) and to decrease fat intake (p <= .001), unhealthy eating behaviors (p <= .001), and individual (p <= .05) and family-related (p <= .01) perceived barriers to healthy eating. Entertainment education and promotoras engaged families and improved mothers' diets. Further research should examine the dose needed for greater changes." (Abstract)
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"In many—if not most—countries of the modern world, radio is thought of as a provider of music, news, weather reports and traffic situations, but very little else. Yet in parts of the developing world, radio is still extremely important and valuable as a medium for encouraging and teaching life
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improvement. This book demonstrates and teaches how radio drama—be it stand alone or serial drama—can be very influential in helping people to improve their lives." (Prologue)
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