Integrating values into the social learning process: The occupational world in children’s television shows in Israel

Abstract

Children develop their perceptions, expectations, and attitudes toward the occupational world much earlier than they enter it, also via television which serves as a central socialization agent in the preschool years. The current study thematically analyzes the values associated with the occupational world in children’s series by integrating two theoretical perspectives: Schwartz’s theory of values and Bandura’s social cognitive theory. The study finds that children’s series represent the occupational world extensively and uniformly as multicultural and community-oriented. Many aspects of the occupational world in these shows are portrayed inconsistently with the real-world workplace. All occupations are treated equally, and the workplace is portrayed positively, involving obedience and conformity and nearly no concern for personal professional advancement.