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David Smith	MaMMID
Research Paper Critique	Darren Stevens
Friday 6th December 2002 (revised)

RAEYMAECKER, K. 2002. Young people and patterns of time consumption in relation to print media. European Journal of Communication. 17 (3). pp. 369 – 383.

 

Introduction

Hypothesis: Television viewing time has a negative effect on reading time, has to be differentiated since the results show a different relationship between viewing time and the reading of books, magazines and newspapers respectively.

 

This was a primary cross sectional research study that focused on a group of 1187 16 – 18 year old students in Flanders, in their use of different forms of reading material in response to the possibility of reading time being reduced through greater TV viewing times.

 

The introduction to the paper focuses on  the previous research papers that have been published in response to a variety of hypothesises that are grouped around the notion of reading times being reduced in response to the advent and increase of TV viewing times.

The overall results of these papers indicate that reading time has been reduced and that TV viewing times have, since the introduction of the Television, been steadily increasing. It must be noted, though, that these papers only state that the increase of TV viewing times is an influence on the decrease in reading times and not the sole reason.

This paper attempts to indicate that future studies of the above type have to take into account the types of reading material in response to TV viewing times, for reading times vary in response to differing reading material.

 

Critique

Throughout the paper, there is a failure to mention the procedures that the study used in order to choose the participants. As a whole there is a defined organised selection of which educational levels and amount of participants within those levels that were to be studied. Is it to be assumed that the participants were therefore chosen randomly?

There is also a failure to mention the reason that this group was to be studied as opposed to any other. A defined reason for this would give greater understanding as to the results and whether these can be generalised for the same age group occupied in other lifestyles.

The study serves as an initial approach to the subject of reading and TV viewing times but fails to allow for any expansion in the population to be understood. In this sense a further research study could be initiated to determine if the same results can be acknowledged and applied to a wider population grouping.

 

It is mentioned within the paper that the research project failed to account for the type of reading material studied within the areas of book, magazine and newspaper. The categorisation in to the initial areas provides us with an preliminary understanding of TV viewing times in relation to reading times, but the level of content that is read or watched should not be separated from the study. Content quality levels would provide a further understanding of the categorisation of TV viewing times against content reading times, specifying which reading content levels have increased or decreased.

The definition of book, for example, fails to specify if the book could be considered classical literature, educational, fiction or non-fiction or massed produced pulp. There are differing quality levels related to these and other areas within books.

In addition to the variables of reading it might be useful to include the extra variable of what type of television program was the participant watching?

Also in similarity to this, there is no definition of what constitutes reading (for example) for pleasure as opposed to reading and TV viewing for college work.

 

The study presents within the paper quantified levels of time attached to either book, magazine, newspaper and television to provide a comparison between the individual levels. A separate quantity of available leisure time should be added to the survey to allow to compare the given reading and TV viewing times against the availability of free time for reading and TV viewing. This would designate the amount of available time and the amount spent in each activity.

 

Conclusion

Did the study test the author’s claim in their hypothesis?

In view to the above statement, it can be said that the research paper does fulfil the hypothesis and prove that in order to pursue research into the reading and television habits of 16 – 18 students, it is necessary to stipulate which area of reading the participant is active within.

Further research should be carried out to allow for comparisons to be made between differing age groups. It would also be necessary to include in the  research project a wider range of the public to allow for a greater understanding of the populace and their reading and viewing habits.

In view to the research paper and its purpose, the research paper, in its own narrow methods, is a useful means to gain information and allows for a better understanding of how and what people read.