On studying the role of media in the lives of minority children: Challenges, methodological explorations and some insights

Lemish, D. (2011). On studying the role of media in the lives of minority children: Challenges, methodological explorations and some insights . Zagreb conference: "New challenges and methodological innovations in European media audience research". 7-9 April 2011.

Abstract: This presentation will reflect on my experiences in studying the role of media in the lives of children in Israel over the years. Given my preferred methodological approach, as well as political desire, to attain fully inclusive representation of the whole rich range of populations that comprise Israeli society – including religious and ethnic minorities – I have encountered a complicated set of challenges in conducting research on children and media; in designing studies, in executing them, in interpreting data, as well as in the formal presentation and publication of the research. This presentation will delineate and illustrate these challenges by means of difficulties encountered when including the Arab (a naming-label that is in-and-of itself an issue of great debate) minority in two research projects conducted in Israel: First, the study of the role of media in children’s make-believe worlds (part of a cross-cultural study conducted in Germany, South Korea, USA and Israel); and second, the study of the role of news in children’s lives, particularly in reference to the Israeli-Arab conflict.