Masters Theses

Date of Award

12-2007

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science

Major

Instructional Technology and Educational Studies

Major Professor

Diana Moyer

Committee Members

Trena Paulus, Barbara Thayer-Bacon

Abstract

In order to discover the experiences of public school students with the presence of corporate advertising available in their schools, data was collected from a public elementary, middle, and high school. This included a walkthrough of the schools to make note of advertisements available to students on a regular basis; informal interviews with school staff; and collection of classroom materials from teachers. Also, a total of ten students representing three different grade levels were interviewed in three focus groups, one per grade level. This study is a qualitative analysis conducted from a critical and phenomenological standpoint. The impetus for the study was an interest in the influence(s) of corporate presence in public schools, and a concern for what implications that may/may not have on democratic ideals in American society in general and American educational systems in particular.

The results are presented as a literary journey of what students experience in terms of corporate advertising in their schools. Using Hatch’s interpretive analysis as a guide led to the development of five common themes that permeated the focus group discussions. Those include an understanding of the basic concept of advertising; a rejection of the idea that corporations employ the use of manipulative practices within the school; varying levels of awareness and abilities to recollect corporate names present within the school; the presence or lack of student agency; and evidence of “successful” manipulations of the students with regard to corporate agendas. Also noted was the presence in schools of practices that do not concur with school goals.

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