"Classification of Educational Radio Research" (January 1, 1941)

An inexpensive and reliable survey service of the type organized by G E Garrison of the Wayne University Broadcasting Guild (Detroit, Michigan) will supply information of this type to broadcasters. Such a survey does not have the shortcoming common to most of the commercial services of failing to adequately reach families of low income level, which have no telephones. (2) Broadcasters can use data on relative preferences (that is, preferences between programs) to estimate the desirability of changing edu¬ cational programs to more nearly resemble preferred types. An analysis of pro¬ grams most preferred should provide plenty of hints for the improvement of existing educational series. (3) Bata supplied by research showing preferred types of program content (news, comedy, fiction, education) can be used by broadcasters of edu¬ cational programs to provide leads for the remodeling of educational programs in terms of preferred types. It is possible that educational programs that are to attract and hold the attention of large masses of people must actually be made to resemble other types of programs that are most popular before mass education by radio can be successful. At present "educational’' programs are actually the least preferred type. Many people do learn a good deal from other types of program, of course, and it may well be that the popular daytime serials provide the form in which educational programs must be cast, before they will be widely accepted. Only research can decide this question, and such re¬ search is urgently needed by educational broadcasters. The Evaluation of School Broadcasts group studied the effect of a change in content of educational music programs in cooperation with the Columbia Broadcasting System. Symphonic music using familiar thematic material taken from the folk music of America was presented on the assumption that familiarity of theme would help make symphonic music more understandable to students. Al¬ though the study is not yet complete, it appears that themes must be more familiar than those used in this study if they are to aid in increasing under¬ standing and enjoyment of symphonic music. A large proportion of the American folk themes used turned out to be unfamiliar to most of the children who listened. It is also possible to decide by means of listener research what general subjects and what topics are preferred by the radio audience. It has been known for quite a while that astronomy ranks high in interest among science topics. Further research will uncover many other particular content interests of this sort, although but little is known of these preferences now. (4) Broadcasters can use immediate information supplied by research concerning preferred types of program production . The time is rapidly passing when educators-in-radio feel compelled by considerations of dignity to differentiate educational programs from entertainment. Progressive educators are unanimous in their acceptance of the principle that effective education must begin in a language, style and form acceptable to the persons being educated. Since radio programs are freely chosen, acceptability must mean preferability. If for example it is found by research methods that not more than 20 per cent of the time on the air can be spent in carrying the message of the program explicitly, then educators-in-radio will have to modify their programs widely from existing practice. -5-