Basil Bernstein's sociology of language applied to education: deficits,differences and bewitchment

The publication of A‐level examination results in England, Wales and Northern Ireland has become one of the major diary items in the news media’s calendar. This paper is based, in part, upon the findings of an inter‐disciplinary study funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC). It explores two key questions about the relationship between the education sector and news media in the UK. Firstly, it asks why educationalists appear to have become pessimistic about the possibilities for raising the quality of media debate about education. Secondly, it takes the example of the annual coverage of A‐level results, in order to discuss why education news coverage tends to adhere to templates that many educationalists criticize as producing ritualistic and polarized coverage. The paper concludes by exploring some suggestions for those who are seeking ways to influence the quality of education news coverage.     

Implementing media education in the Hong Kong secondary curriculum

The tremendous influence of today's mass media can hardly be matched by the sum of its works from the past. There are more sources of media, more types of information and entertainment, more interactive modes for consuming these messages of the mass media in a more interconnected global village available than ever before. Since many pupils spend much of their time on the media, the call for media education is urgent. This article first describes the aims and objectives of media education, then portrays the power of the media and how the education sectors have responded. Finally, it argues for the need to implement media education into the secondary curriculum in response to proposed curriculum reform in Hong Kong.     

The influence of warning messages on the public's perception of substance use: A theoretical framework

We bring different theories together to develop a theoretical framework that helps to understand how early warning messages about (new) dangerous drugs can influence the public's perception of substance use. We bring together the agenda setting theory, framing theory, dual processing theory, social learning theory, health belief model, theory of planned behavior, and cultivation theory in order to explain how warning messages diffused through the mass media can have an impact on the receivers' perceptions. Based on these insights we construct the Integrated Media Effect Framework (IMFE) that takes into account the role of cultural and structural contexts in the realm of early warning systems (EWS). Ultimately, this framework provides valuable guidelines for conceptualizing EWS and for developing applications by governments.     

Mediatizing educational policy: the journalistic field,science policy,and cross‐field effects

This paper is concerned to demonstrate the usefulness of the theory of Bourdieu, including the concepts of field, logics of practice and habitus, to understanding relationships between media and policy, what Fairclough has called the ‘mediatization’ of policy. Specifically, the paper draws upon Bourdieu’s accessible account of the journalistic field as outlined in On television and journalism. The usefulness of this work is illustrated through a case study of a recent Australian science policy, The chance to change. As this policy went through various iterations and media representations, its naming and structure became more aphoristic. This is the mediatization of contemporary policy, which often results in policy as sound bite. The case study also shows the cross‐field effects of this policy in education, illustrating how today educational policy can be spawned from developments in other public policy fields.     

Contradictory Messages: A Content Analysis of Hollywood-Produced Romantic Comedy Feature Films

This study analyzed the romantic content of a sample of 40 romantic comedy films using a basic grounded theory methodology. Analyses revealed that such films appear to depict romantic relationships as having qualities of both new and long-term relationships; that is, to be both novel and exciting, yet emotionally significant and meaningful. Furthermore, relationships were shown to have both highly idealistic and undesirable qualities but for any problems or transgressions experienced to have no real negative long-term impact on relationship functioning. The potential for viewer interpretations is discussed and the need for future research highlighted.     

“We Must Not Think Evil of This Man”: A Case Study of Amish and English Forgiveness

Previous research on forgiveness has taken place with little accounting for contextual influence, assuming a rather universal definition and practice across different contexts. Using discourse analysis, this study explores the social construction of forgiveness in media texts by comparing discussions of Amish and English forgiveness. The results of this study problematize a singular, uniform notion of forgiveness, instead framing it as a contextually bounded, discursive phenomenon. This study suggests that an alternative approach to studying forgiveness can shed light on otherwise overlooked dimensions of the forgiveness process.     

Flashing Your Phone: Sexting and the Remediation of Teen Sexuality

This essay offers an account of “sexting's” cultural value and social uses by examining celebrities' production and distribution of sexual imagery on Twitter. It argues that as a result of technological convergence and the prevalence of social media, teens and celebrities are using “candid” images of their sexuality to remediate themselves in a fashion that generates a specific form of user-generated capital. Ultimately, this perspective is used to argue that the anxiety surrounding high school-age sexters has less to do with teens documenting their sexuality than it does with the ways that new forms of text-based media articulate the libidinal status of teenage sexuality in contemporary culture.     

Examining Determinants of Efficacy Judgments as Factors in Health Promotion Message Design

Self-efficacy is a predictor of behavioral performance across a range of health domains, and research suggests that media messages can effectively boost efficacy; however, much is unknown regarding determinants of self-efficacy, and the message features with the greatest potential to alter efficacy perceptions. The authors of this article examined skill and motivation as determinants of efficacy and tested their effectiveness as message variables. Study 1 identified health behaviors that young adults felt unable to perform, as well as behavior barriers and facilitators. Study 2 isolated one behavior, exercise, and tested messages targeting either skill or motivation as a determinant of self-efficacy to exercise. Matched messages engendered greater general self-efficacy than unmatched messages, though no differences emerged on self-efficacy magnitude and strength measures. Follow-up data indicated that participants low in motivation exercised more than those low in skill regardless of message condition. Implications of these findings for health promotion efforts are discussed.     

Transportation into Vivid Media Violence: A Focus on Attention,Emotions, and Mental Rumination

Prior research suggests violent narratives can transport viewers, affecting attitudes and beliefs. This research project explores whether a factor related to a media text —vividness—affects the degree to which audience members become transported into a violent narrative. Furthermore, this study focuses on the various subcomponents of the transportation experience (e.g., attention, emotional involvement, and mental imagery processes) to see if vividness affects some components more than others. In an experiment, 179 participants were exposed to vivid or non-vivid versions of violent television programs. Findings reveal that viewers of vivid violence exhibited stronger emotional reactions and higher attention levels. Vividness did not impact mental imagery processes or excitation levels, however. Implications for transportation, vividness, and media violence research are discussed.     

Practical media work and the curriculum of the future

This article considers the current range of contexts and pretexts for practical media work, principally in England. I argue that the current educational context in England requires us to broaden, rather than restrict the role that practical work is given in the curriculum. In particular I argue that practical media work has too often been associated with critical reflection (the ability to read between the lines of media texts) and critical authority (the ability to adopt the formal discourses of appreciation and judgement). It does this at the expense of critical autonomy (the ability to work with others to develop new, sustainable arguments) and critical action (the process of testing and refining these positions by applying them in real social settings). I argue that such a role is compatible with the development of pedagogies relevant to a ‘curriculum for the future’ (Young, 1998) which aims, among other things, to reconceptualize learning as a social, rather than an individual process.