Effects of an educational television program on preschoolers: variability in benefits

Abstract

This study examined the cognitive effects of an educational early childhood television program in Turkey that was designed to enhance basic cognitive skills and socio-emotional development of 5-year-old children. The program targeted children with low socioeconomic status who had limited access to formal preschool education. The program was screened for a period of 13 weeks and was evaluated with an experimental design, with the addition of a natural observation group. Findings indicated that the program functioned as an early educational intervention for those children who had moderate exposure to it. Furthermore, compensatory effects were found, such that those children who had low levels of skills prior to the viewing of the program benefited more than their skilled peers. The policy implications are important for enhancing school readiness among children in socioeconomically deprived contexts.