Impact of Tales by Moonlight - A Television Drama series, on Children

Abstract

Children are assets to every community and therefore there are efforts to get them the best education so as to make children realise their full potentials in the society as they gradually become of age. If their interest in education is sustained, surely the rate at which deviant behaviours infest the society will no doubt reduce to the barest minimum. This research examined the impact that educational drama programmes on television can have on children. It investigated into level of information reception by children through drama as compared to other conservative methods. Data were obtained through historical method and in-depth interview. Tales by Moonlight, a children television programme on Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) was the focus of the study and 5 viewers who watched the programme as children (though now grown-ups) were purposively selected for interview. Feedbacks from audience were also thematically analysed from online forums. Findings showed that when children are thought through well produced educational drama programmes, level of reception and retention is high and the memory of it lasts longer than when it is through the traditional method. This study, therefore, recommends more educational drama programmes across all fields of learning for children in Nigeria.