How are children dealing with Schloss
Einstein?
In the frame of the study "The
significance of soap operas in everyday life of children and
young people" a partial study was carried out concerning
the children's weekly Schloss Einstein (The Einstein Castle).
The series was discussed during group discussions with 392
elementary school children, while 40 frequent Schloss Einstein
viewers were interrogated in individual interviews. From this
empirical material a qualitative statement can be framed regarding
what children like about Schloss Einstein, what it means to
them on a more than superficial level and the ways in which
this programme is being discussed in peer group and families.
Currently, the favourite programme
of elementary school children is Pokémon, followed
by Schloss Einstein, which lags far behind
Pokémon (RTL2) is definitely the favourite programme.
In all grades (school class levels) girls as well as boys
name Pokémon as their favourite programme. Lagging
far behind, although ahead of Gute Zeiten, schlechte Zeiten
(Good times, bad times) and Big Brother, is Schloss Einstein.
High acceptance of Schloss Einstein
by children and parents
For elementary school children and their parents, Schloss
Einstein has an avowed high acceptance. During group discussions,
nearly all children expressed a positive view of the programme.
In individual interviews all children stated that their parents
liked Schloss Einstein and approved of them watching it. Therefore
the acceptance (of the series) is decisively different from
other daily soaps and Big Brother.
The decisive element of Schloss
Einstein: children play the lead parts
Children perceive Schloss Einstein as a programme exclusively
produced for them. The decisive element is that they are seen
to play the lead part. Individual interviews showed that the
mostly favoured characters are Nadine and Oliver, followed
by Alexandra and Budhi.
Schloss Einstein is fun
Children perceive Schloss Einstein as a programme where they
can laugh a lot. This means that they mostly like the funny
elements in the series. Surprisingly, this refers not only
to the comic strands, but also to some relatively non-spectacular
scenes and small stories, such as, for example, when Katharina
kisses Budhi right in front of her father. For hours after
the programme children laughed about the "funny face"
he was making.
First love is exciting, but only
in childlike forms that children can understand
According to the children, concrete information about sexuality
does not fit with Schloss Einstein
The adventure strand dealing with first love is very attractive
for girls and boys. Here the childlike approach towards sexuality
and erotic topics predominates. They talk mainly about scenes
and small stories with romantic tension and about exciting
moments of their first interest in each other.
Critical remarks
It is not concrete topics (such as French kissing or contraception)
which move children. If they are interested (in those topics)
they can extract them from other media (reviews like in English
Sugar, smash-hits, j-14 and bop). Younger viewers feel particularly
embarrassed.
The adventure strand is important,
but not really central
The adventure strand is one of the basics in reception. This
means it is important and that the excitement, when a bomb
or a treasure is found, is an obvious motive for watching
the programme. At a deeper level these adventures only predominate
for some elementary school children (9 to 10 years old).
Individual characters are important,
but only for a few viewers are they the main reason for watching
the programme
It is important for all children that children and young people
are playing the lead parts. Only for a few of them was a particular
character the reason for watching the programme frequently.
In these cases it is Nadine (girls 9 to10 years old) and Oliver
(boys 10 to 12 years old), whom children identify with and
take as role models.
Critical remarks
The characters in Schloss Einstein are undoubtedly well presented,
and typify a broader scope of characters, as is usual in children's
programmes. However, an extension of classical stereotypes
would be desirable, e.g. the scientist (Alexandra), the socially
competent and attractive (Nadine). Children become aware of
these stereotypes and use them in the manner that they are
given. From an educational perspective, it would be desirable
to endow these characters with more varied characteristics
in order to extend or better overcome (gender) stereotypes.
Schloss Einstein is something individual,
a world not associated with adults, but still not purely a
children's programme
For some older elementary schoolchildren (10 to 11 years old)
Schloss Einstein is significant particularly because it provides
them with a world of their own. Parents support their viewing,
but do not necessarily join them in doing so. Children enjoy
the fact that Schloss Einstein is not a series for "little
children" (such as Teletubbies), not a pure comedy (named:
various cartoons) and not purely an adventure programme (e.g.
Pfefferkörner). It is a series perceived by the children
as being produced exclusively for their age group, providing
"a space for themselves". Embedded in the reliable
context of the world of children's media, they have something
where they can watch their current actual or potential daily
problems with parental consent.
The aesthetic style of the programme provides something for
rather "unobtrusive" children (Kinderwelten 2000).
The others (mainly girls) rather find themselves in Gute Zeiten,
schlechte Zeiten and name this daily soap as their favourite
programme; nevertheless they additionally like watching Schloss
Einstein.
For most of the children, the basic
setting, "boarding school", is the main reason for
being enthusiastic about the series
For most of the children (from 6 to 14 years old) the main
motive for watching the series is the "basic setting
boarding school". Here children are amongst themselves,
have to solve problems and set up their everyday life together.
The exciting school day, in particular, with its small scenes
of jokes and funny situations, is the underlying element why
children (mainly 1st to 4th graders) are enthusiastic about
the programme. Most welcome are stories where children team
up and a discreet approach to the different genders is possible.
Other scenes that children are fond of are sequences where
children show special competence (e.g. Internet, sports).
The boarding school setting is partly put in the context of
Harry Potter and Hanni and Nanni by the children and symbolises
the basic feelings of schoolchildren's everyday life. The
focus is no more on the family, but on arrangements with children
the same age. In doing so children have to cope with their
problems and adventures independently. Adults only form the
framework and often cause problems; however, most important
of all, they ensure that no real violations are possible.
What fantasies and dreams is Schloss
Einstein creating?
Friendship that works
For many of them Schloss Einstein creates a dream of friendship
and community feeling inside the classroom that works. It
is important that the children "not only start fighting",
but "somehow manage argument in a positive way"
and "the class is keeping together". For the children
Schloss Einstein is a media programme where friendship that
works is displayed. Their statements make obvious that the
programme creates feelings and fantasies of security and integration.
In the end everything turns out
well
It is important that the programme doesn't show anything really
horrible. From a child's perspective, Schloss Einstein is
a programme not dealing with "drama and drug addiction"
or "horror or so". In fantasies it becomes clear
that Schloss Einstein is connected with positive pictures
of an exciting, but still manageable everyday life.
Critical remarks
The scene in which the boy Aram was
injured, and blood could be seen, crossed the line for younger
viewers. The children from Schloss Einstein are supposed to
experience adventure, and also be in danger sometimes. However,
blood and visible injury can frighten younger elementary schoolchildren.
Problems and fears can be worked
on
Several children stated they often dreamt about Schloss Einstein.
Moving scenes from the series were here connected with individual
fears. In their dreams Schloss Einstein is no isolated room
for retreat, but a place where children can take their problems,
and - at least in dreams - solve them in a positive way. However,
often dreams remain without a solution. Here it would be desirable
to offer children more strategies to solve problems deriving
from being together with other children (being threatened
by other boys, being excluded, etc.).
Schloss Einstein applies to the
themes of children
In summary, it can be noted that Schloss Einstein is relevant
to the concrete interests of children. Mostly, certain scenes
(e.g. when Oliver rides his bike and breaks) and small stories
(children secretly join the school lesson already started,
via the loft) are important to children. In certain strands
of action, like the story of a boy or Katharina being abandoned
by her father, the series succeeds in symbolising children's
concrete concerns. Insofar as it does this, Schloss Einstein
is not only fun, but also provides scopes for fantasies and
provides ways of approaching problems actively.
Summary
For children it is most important that in Schloss Einstein
children play the lead parts. They perceive Schloss Einstein
as a series produced exclusively for them. They experience
adventures and everyday school life together with the schoolchildren
in Schloss Einstein. The funny elements in the series are
particularly popular. In Schloss Einstein, children find their
concerns reflected, feel emotionally secure and have the feeling
of a positive gain for their everyday life. While the reception
of Gute Zeiten, schelchte Zeiten for children and young people
is rather about models of life-styles, and Marienhof deals
primarily with ideals, Schloss Einstein reflects concrete
concerns. This opens up scope for children's fantasies - here
it is mainly adventure and fun in everyday life - as well
as friendship that works. In this respect, and according to
the significance it has for children, it is closer to a children's
movie than to daily soap.
Project
The summary is the result of a partial study from the research
project
The significance of Daily Soaps in the everyday life of
children and young people
This study is based on 401 interviews with children and young
people who watch Gute Zeiten, schlechte Zeiten, Marienhof,
Verbotene Liebe, Unter Uns , Schloss Einstein and Big Brother
frequently. In addition to characters, the content of the
series and the social embedding of reception within the everyday
life of families, questionnaire topics also investigated subsequent
communication as well as the fantasies and dreams connected
to the programmes. The questions are deliberately kept open,
and supposedly give scope to children and young people to
articulate their preferences and perspectives. While young
people (14 to 19 years old) completed the questionnaire independently,
for children (6 to 9 years old) and pre-teens (10 to14 years
old), face-to-face interviews were conducted. Although the
evaluation of this interview was done in a quantitative way,
the main focus point is rather located qualitatively. In addition
to evaluation comparing the answers, the individual constitution
of meaning, showing typical patterns of media appropriation
and functions of the series, is worked out. The investigation
is completed with group discussions in elementary schools
and individual case studies as well as media analyses and
investigations in soap fan-clubs.
The results of the overall study were introduced in Munich
on December 12th 2000 at the
IZI conference "Somewhere between Marienhof, GZSZ and
Schloss Einstein: Television for 10 to 15-year-olds,"
and summarised in the review
TelevIZIon 13/2000/2 (only available in German); a German
book publication followed in German Language 2002.
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