How does a robot who is raising a goose talk about climate change? In this episode, we watch the movie The Wild Robot and discuss its environmental themes and how its subtle nature it can drive conversations around climate change. We also discuss other major themes and how by understanding who the source of the message is through media literacy, we can become a more active audience rather than passive.

Media Source:

Brown, P., & Atwater, K. (2021). The Wild Robot. Findaway.

Sanders, C. (Director). (2024). The Wild Robot [Film]. DreamWorks Animation.

Drewxdeficit TikTok account: https://www.tiktok.com/@drewxdeficit?_t=ZP-8uPL6ZQdsY2&_r=1

Citations:

Burke, K. (1969). A rhetoric of motives. Burkley, CA: University California Press.

Giaccardi, S., Rogers, A., & Rosenthal, E. L. (2022, October 17). A glaring absence: The climate crisis is virtually nonexistent in Scripted Entertainment. https://sustainability.usc.edu/2022/10/17/a-glaring-absence-the-climate-crisis-is-virtually-nonexistent-in-scripted-entertainment/Hoffner, C. A., & Cohen, E. L. (2014). Portrayal of mental illness on the TV series Monk: Presumed influence and consequences of exposure. Health Communication, 30(10), 1046–1054. https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2014.917840

Scharrer, E., & Ramasubramanian, S.(2015). Intervening in the media’s influence on stereotypes of race and ethnicity: The role of media literacy education. Journal of Social Issues, 71(1), 171–185. doi:10.1111/josi.12103

Stamps, D. L., & Sahlman, J. (2021).Audiences’ mediated contact with Black characters in scripted television and support for racialized social issues. Communication Studies, 72(5), 834-849. https://doi.org/10.1080/10510974.2021.1975140

Media literacy is a skill that we can develop. However, as in the case of many skills and behaviors, the confidence someone has in those skills can predict a person's willingness to do such skills. In our first episode, we explore the idea of Self-Efficacy and how Sesame Street helps develop cognitive skills while addressing affective goals, increasing children's and parents' self-esteem, competency, and self-efficacy. Sesame Street offers valuable skills to both children and parents through Entertainment Education. So, how can we learn from Sesame Street and apply their approaches to media literacy application?

Media Sources:

Sesame Workshop. (2024, May 3). Big Bird gets the COVID-19 vaccine. https://sesameworkshop.org/resources/big-bird-gets-the-covid-vaccine/

Sesame Street Workshop. (2015, October 20). Talk Listen Connect. For Families: Deployment Story. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6bK2ayZIBo

Sesame Workshop. (2024, June 26). Financial education. https://sesameworkshop.org/topics/financial-education/

Wilcox, D. (1972, February 16). Sesame Street: S3. Sesame Workshop.

Research Sources:

Bandura, A. (1989). Human agency in social cognitive theory. American Psychologist, 44(9), 1175–1184. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.44.9.1175

Bandura, A. (2004). Social Cognitive Theory for Personal and Social Change by Enabling Media. In A. Singhal, M. J. Cody, E. M. Rogers, & M. Sabido (Eds.), Entertainment-education and social change: History, research, and practice (pp. 75–96). Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Publishers.

Bandura, A. (2013). Health promotion from the perspective of social cognitive theory. In Understanding and changing health behavior (pp. 299-339). Psychology Press.

Davis, Michael (2008). Street Gang: The Complete History of Sesame Street. New York: Viking Penguin. ISBN 978-0-670-01996-0.

Fisch, S. M., & Truglio, R. T. (2011). “G” is for growing: Thirty Years of Research on children and Sesame Street. Routledge.

Flittner O’Grady, A., Thomaseo Burton, E., Chawla, N., Topp, D., & MacDermid Wadsworth, S. (2015). Evaluation of a multimedia intervention for children and families facing multiple military deployments. The Journal of Primary Prevention, 37(1), 53–70. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10935-015-0410-7

Kearney, M., & Levine, P. (2015). Early Childhood Education by MOOC: Lessons from Sesame Street. https://doi.org/10.3386/w21229

Li, J., Foley, J. M., Dumdum, O., & Wagner, M. W. (2022). The power of a genre: Political news presented as fact-checking increases accurate belief updating and hostile media perceptions. Mass Communication and Society, 25, 282-307. doi:10/1080/15205436.2021.1924382

Mielke, K.W. (1990). Research and development at the Children’s Television Workshop. Educational Technology Research and Development, 38 (4), 7-16.

NAMLE. (2024, March 7). Core principles. https://namle.net/publications/core-principles/

Shapiro, J. (2018). Digital play for global citizens: A guide from the Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop. The Joan Ganz Cooney Center: Advancing children’s education in the digital age. https://joanganzcooneycenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/jgcc_digitalplayforglobalcitizens.pdf

Sherman, M. D., Monn, A., Larsen, J. L., & Gewirtz, A. (2018). Evaluation of a Sesame Street multimedia intervention for families transitioning out of the military. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 27(8), 2533-2540. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-018-1083-7