The Impact of Sesame Street on Readiness.

Minton, Judith Haber

This study investigated the effects of the first season of Sesame Street on readiness in kindergarten children. Metropolitan Readiness Test (MRT) scores of children from one school district, who had attended kindergarten in the two years prior to the first broadcast season, were compared with the scores of children who had attended kindergarten in 1970, the year of the first season of Sesame Street. In each comparison total MRT scores and the six subtest scores were analyzed separately. There was a significant difference found in favor of the 1970 group on the Alphabet Subtest. There were no significant differences in favor of this group found on any of the other sub tests nor on the total test. No significant interaction was found between age and exposure to Sesame Street. A significant interaction effect in favor of the 1970 boys was found on the Alphabet Subtest. The scores of children from an advantaged community were found to be significantly higher on the Alphabet Subtest in 1970 than the Alphabet Subtest scores of similar advantaged groups from previous years. The scores of the kindergarten children of 1970 from the summer Head Start program were not significantly different, on any of the subtests nor on the total test, than the scores of the summer Head Start groups from previous years.

KINDERGARTEN; CHILDREN; EARLY childhood education; RESEARCH; EXAMINATIONS; AGE

Sociology of Education, 1975, Vol 48, Issue 2, p141

0038-0407

Academic Journal

10.2307/2112472