Abstract
A content analysis of the information about television and children was performed on child and adolescent development textbooks to determine the degree of emphasis and quality of information provided. There is considerable variability among textbooks with respect to the amount and type of information. Pairwise group comparisons indicate that information about television declined from 1986 to 1989 and that child development texts are more likely than child and adolescent or adolescent textbooks to present information about television. Analysis of the textbook material is contrasted with the extensive literature on television and children to indicate biases and omissions in textbook presentations. Implications of these findings for teaching courses in child and adolescent development are discussed.