'The Electric Company' In-School Utilization Study. Volume Two: The 1972-73 School and Teacher Surveys and Trends Since Fall 1971.

A second-year study was made of the in-school utilization of "The Electric Company" television series. The findings reported here provide feedback to the series' users and producers. As in the first year study, the data up-date information on the technical capabilities of schools to use television, on applications of educational television, and on the attitudes of students, teachers, school administrators, and the educationally involved public toward television as an instructional medium. The data are based largely on information provided by sample surveys of elementary school principals and teachers who were questioned nationwide during the 1972-73 school year. Three mailed surveys were involved. The results of the surveys showed that in-school utilization expanded considerably in most areas of the nation, with the series being used by an increasingly diversified range of schools. Some but not all of this expansion was due to improvements in the technical capabilities of schools. At the same time, pupil viewing patterns shifted somewhat to give even greater exposure to slow reading target pupils, and to provide more selective use of the series for a limited number of grade levels in an adopter school. Rural and private schools have gradually achieved utilization levels equal to urban schools. (WCM)