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Dissertation Information for Dan Stout

NAME:
- Dan Stout

DEGREE:
- Ph.D.

DISCIPLINE:
- Library and Information Science

SCHOOL:
- Rutgers University (USA) (1993)

ADVISORS:
- Jorge Schement

COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
- None

MPACT Status: Incomplete - Not_Inspected

Title: Resolving conflicts of worldviews: Mormon women and television

Abstract:
This research examines how a sample of Mormon women define the role of television in their lives. With church leaders stressing selectivity of program choice and reduced viewing time, Mormon women are faced with decisions about television's place in family life. Questionnaires from 428 Mormon women in Houston, Tx., Los Angeles, Ca., and Salt Lake City, Ut. were analyzed. Cluster analysis of questionnaire data as well as qualitative analysis of open-ended written statements identified three types of television audiences or "interpretive communities" among Mormon women: (a) Traditionals, a young, affluent, and highly religious audience that stresses selectivity in their television viewing, (b) Independents, who are older, less affluent, less religious, and view a wider variety of programs than the other women sampled, and (3) Contextuals, who are highly religious, but unlike Traditionals, watch a wide variety of entertainment programs and experience guilty feelings in doing so.

In addition to the survey data, 201 written statements were subjected to qualitative analysis. This, the second phase of the research revealed that the three audiences also vary according to their television discourse or "styles of television talk." Divergent themes and metaphors in the written statements indicate that Traditionals are more likely to talk about television in terms of its ability to prompt negative behaviors and distract them from what they consider to be more important activities. Independents, however, often describe television viewing in individual, goal-oriented terms, and assess its value more from a personal, private point of view. For Contextuals, television is often described as a secondary activity (i.e., way to be with family members or as a passive activity when performing household tasks), and not usually an activity they prefer.

MPACT Scores for Dan Stout

A = 0
C = 0
A+C = 0
T = 0
G = 0
W = 0
TD = 0
TA = 0
calculated 2008-01-31 06:10:10

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