Skol-TV – traditioner, visioner och former: <br> En studie av skol-TV:s förutsättningar, framväxt och utveckling under 1960-talet

Abstract in English

This dissertation is about the introduction of school television in Sweden during the 1960?s. It focuses partly on formal and institutional attitudes and values, as in the educational system, and it is partly an investigation of the actual programmes made. The introduction and forming of school television is seen as a consequence due to many factors. It was the time of a growing welfare society which demanded new skills from socially active and concerned citizens, television was a rather new medium in Sweden and there were ideological disagreements about its purposes and aims, as well as the educational system searched for new and modern methods. The ambivalence towards the combination television and education is central for this study. Television as medium represented both a revealing mirror of the world and pure entertainment built on seductive images. School television is here considered as a part of an ideological conquering of a new medium.

Another important part is the research of the actual programmes in the field of society and social issues, aiming at pupils aged 9-19. Starting with a discussion about fiction and nonfiction, one conclusion is that fiction forms were used with consideration. The terms formal and open voice as a way of structuring the nonfiction programmes are mainly used. The formal voice is more explicit and expository, depending very much on the 'Voice of God', the open voice is more observational, less explicit, but still taking implicit stands. The roles of the participants are studied – especially children and youths – and also what subjects the programmes actually treated and how they changed during the decade. The belief in the modern society was central, as was the confidence in a reachable better world, at the same time as new and more critical perspectives were introduced. The image of Sweden and the world outside developed and was modified. The strong theme of similarity, that the life is basically the same all over the world, unified in the modernity, is here interpreted as an assurance that 'they' trying to be like 'us'. Differences remained: violence and death belonged to the 'them'.