CRANE RESEARCH FORUM: Who’s modeling STEM learning in children’s educational media?

Event Speaker
Dr. Fashina Aladé, assistant professor in the department of Advertising & Public Relations at Michigan State University

Event Location
Zoom

Recently there has been a large increase in the number of STEM-focused educational television shows available for children, as well as a strong push for more diverse and inclusive children’s programming. The underlying assumption at play is that if children see more diverse characters on-screen engaging in STEM activities and modeling STEM interest, this will lead to broader interest and participation in STEM among racially diverse viewers. To date, there is little empirical evidence to support this assumption. Dr. Fashina Aladé will discuss a mix of quantitative and qualitative data from a content analysis of race and gender representation in children’s STEM TV as well as an interview study with parent-child dyads about what features of a STEM TV show resonate as culturally inclusive and authentic.

Dr. Aladé is passionate about revealing the ways that media and technology can be used to positively impact the lives of children and families. Her work lies at the intersection of media effects, developmental psychology, and early childhood education, with a focus on young children’s comprehension of and learning from educational media. She also works in partnership with media companies to evaluate children’s television programs and online games. Her research has won top awards from the International Communication Association and has been published widely.

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