Promoting Prosocial Beliefs and Behavior Toward People with Disabilities in Nepal through a Children’s Entertainment-Education Program

Deborah A. Strong (1), William J. Brown (2)
(1) Nepal Disability Relief Foundation, PO Box 8975-EPC 2094, Kathmandu, Nepal,
(2) School of Communication & the Arts, Regent University, Virginia Beach, VA, United States
https://doi.org/10.5463/dcid.v22i2.33

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Issue
Vol. 22 No. 2 (2011): Autumn
Submitted
September 14, 2020
Published
October 15, 2011
Keywords:
    Children’s television, entertainment-education, Nepal, people with disabilities, role models
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Abstract

Purpose This quasi-experimental field study examines the prosocial influences of a children’s entertainment-education television programme, Khushi Ko Sansar, on children’s beliefs and intended behaviour towards people with disabilities in Nepal.

Method Pre-test and post-test survey data were gathered from 357 Nepali children from nine communities that took part in the study. The children were shown two television episodes in which the star of the programmes, a dog named Khush, befriends and visits people with disabilities.

Results Post-test results show that children developed strong identification with Khush and adopted his prosocial beliefs and behaviour towards people with disabilities.

Conclusions The authors conclude that the entertainment-education television programme, Khushi Ko Sansar, provided a positive role model for children who encounter people with disabilities. Implications of these findings suggest that entertainmenteducation media can improve the treatment of people with disabilities and can promote beneficial health beliefs and practices.

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Authors

Deborah A. Strong
Nepal Disability Relief Foundation, PO Box 8975-EPC 2094, Kathmandu
William J. Brown
School of Communication & the Arts, Regent University, Virginia Beach, VA
willbro@regent.edu (Primary Contact)
Author Biographies

Deborah A. Strong, Nepal Disability Relief Foundation, PO Box 8975-EPC 2094, Kathmandu

Dr. Deborah Anne Strong is the Founder of the Nepal Disability Relief Foundation, headquartered in Kathmandu, Nepal.  Dr. Strong has worked and lived in Nepal since 1986, providing services and living assistance to widows, orphaned children and abandoned adults with disabilities. She received her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Land Use at the Metropolitan State College of Denver, a Master of Arts Degree in Journalism from Regent University, and a Ph.D. in Communication from Regent University. She has taught intercultural communication and disability related issues in several colleges and universities around the world and has been a visiting speaker in more than 115 nations.

 

 

William J. Brown, School of Communication & the Arts, Regent University, Virginia Beach, VA

Dr. William J. Brown is Professor and Research Fellow in the School of Communication and the Arts at Regent University in Virginia Beach, Virginia. He is also Chair of the Department of Communication Studies and Chair of the Ph.D. Program in Communication at Regent University. He received his Bachelor of Science Degree in Environmental Science from Purdue University, his Masters Degree in Communication Management from the Annenberg School of Communication at USC in Los Angeles, and his Masters and Doctorate in Communication from the University of Southern California. His academic research interests include media effects, social influence, and the use of entertainment for social change. Dr. Brown is also partner of Brown, Fraser & Associates, an international communication research and consulting firm that has conducted more than 100 national media studies in more than 35 nations on the effects of the Christian television programming. He has published numerous academic journal articles and book chapters in the field of communication during the past 20 years.

1.
Strong DA, Brown WJ. Promoting Prosocial Beliefs and Behavior Toward People with Disabilities in Nepal through a Children’s Entertainment-Education Program. DCIDJ [Internet]. 2011 Oct. 15 [cited 2025 Mar. 14];22(2):22-37. Available from: https://dcidj.uog.edu.et/index.php/up-j-dcbrid/article/view/37
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