Faculty of Education - Theses

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Author: Lawrence-John, Mary × End date: 1999 × Start date: 1991 × Type: Masters Coursework thesis × Subject: Melbourne ×

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    You can learn things: television in the lives of Vietnamese teenage girls in Melbourne
    Lawrence-John, Mary ( 1994)
    This study addresses the ways in which women and ethnic minorities are represented in the Australian mainstream media, in particular television, and what teenage Vietnamese migrant girls do with the representations they encounter. The literature reviewed includes research and theories about psychological acculturation or cross-cultural adaptation; content analyses of television, exposing the ethnocentric and patriarchal nature of the programs and advertisements screened in Australia; feminist and post-structuralist approaches to the study of television; and ethnographic television audience studies. An ethnographic case study approach was employed to explore the television viewing habits of twelve sixteen to eighteen year old Vietnamese girls living in Melbourne. It was found that the girls were watching television regularly, both for pleasure and with a keen desire to learn. The implications of what they are learning from a media which promotes dominant ethnocentric and patriarchal views is discussed, and whether this has a negative impact on the girls' sense of self and development of identity is questioned. While it is difficult to draw direct conclusions on such issues, it can be said that the girls do not feel part of mainstream Australia and possibly will not until they are recognised by the media. Some of the implications for education and schools are also discussed.