Reel and Slide (Mar-Dec 1918)

SEP I2l9i8 €Ci,B42203S M A G A I NT E ^ VOL. 1 SEPTEMBER 1918 NO. 7 Winning Exhibitors to Screen Ideals Iowa Instructor Makes Questionnaire Analysis of Tastes and Mental Equipment of Students, With Co-operation of Theater Owner By Irene Farrell (Latin and English, Public Schools, Onaiva and Des Moines, Iowa) (Miss Farrell has attracted much attention in educational circles by her efforts to study the effects of the screen on the juvenile mind. In the August issue of Reel and Slide/ some mention was made of this. Herewith Miss Farrell presents her questionnaire form in the belief that others may desire to use it. — Editor.) T is not the part of educators to criticise, but rather through co-operation to make the picture theater an exponent of the best in community life, : that it may be a hving factor for all that is good in the home or in the school. Finding that our manager must see facts as to the need of better pictures, I decided to make an investigation and research among high school people. The following questionnaire with the resulting conclusions 1 handed to the manager of the only two theaters in the town. Fortunately, he, too, is the editor of one of the weekly papers and his interest was aroused to the extent that he gave the article first page prominence in publication : 1. How often do you attend picture shows? 2. At what time do you usually attend? 3. What days do you usually attend? 4. Do your parents like to have you go? 5. Do your parents go with you?. 6. Do you . go alone? 7. Do you go with your friends ? 8. What do you learn from seeing picture shows? 9. Does it affect your desire to read? 10. Does it make you want to read newspapers? 11. Does it make you want to read magazines? 12. Does it make you want to read books? 13. Does it affect your reading in any other way? 14. Do you make use of what you see cr learn anything to help you in your studies at school. 15. Do the pictures help in current events ? How ? 16. Do the pictures affect your religion? How ? 17. Do the pictures hurt your eyes? 18. Do you dream of the pictures you see? What do you dream? 19. Do you think of the pictures much while you are in school? 20. What kind of pictures do you rerr:ember longest? 21. Is your imagination affected? If so, liow ? 22. Do you like to read the books or plays before or after witnessing the picture show ? 23. Do moving pictures affect your desire to attend school? 24. Number the following list in the order of vour choice : (a) (b) (c) (d) (e) (f) ■ (g) (h) 25. tures Spectacular. Tragedy. Comedy. Romantic. Travel. Western. Thrillers. Educational. What do you in general ? think of motion pic Miss Farrell won the local theater to helpful moving pictures. "Educational and travel Farrell. proved to be tlie kind of pictures remembered longest," "Pulpit Terrace," from a Travel reel. (Lea-Bel.) News Weeklies Are Helpful The results indicated that high school pupils want entertainment of this kind about twice a week, which they usually attend with their parents or friends, seldom alone. Their reading habits were affected, one-fifth finding that the motion pictures, probably the news weeklies, increased the desire for newspaper reading. General reading was not so widely influenced, except that in I very case where a picture was ' based on a book, there was registered an increase in the desire to read the work. News weeklies were found to have been very helpful in the study of current events, geography, history and picturized novels in says Mtss English. Those suffering from eye