Entertainment

Entertainment was another theme that emerged after analyzing the data. Anderson and Cavallaro (2002) found “that 34% of the children named their parents as role models and heroes…the next highest category (20%) was entertainers” (166). Bromnick and Swallow’s (1999) research also indicated that role models from mass media and entertainment become more popular, especially as children begin to widen their horizons beyond the family.

Anderson’s study (2001) found, in a survey of teenagers, that boys chose media figures more often than girls partly because there are more males on television. We found this to be true when we examined the choices of the Grade Three boys. Potter (1986) (cited in Anderson, 2001) postulated reasons children pick entertainers as role models:

because children do not have much experience with the real world, television can often serve as an ‘early window’ on the world. Moreover, those who believe that television is an accurate representation of reality are more likely to identify with its characters and subsequently to choose these media figures as role models (109).

Anderson (2001) also found that mass media becomes increasingly important as kids get older because it is a place where they learn to emulate values and behaviour. In fact, many adolescents identify with entertainers and compare themselves to them (Anderson, 2001).

We found a cluster of four Grade Three students who chose role models from the entertainment field. Harjinder, a female student, chose Lizzie McGuire as her role model because “she is kind and nice and she is so, so pretty!” This character, portrayed by the actress Hilary Duff, is the protagonist of a popular children’s TV show aptly named Lizzie McGuire. We believe the female participant was able to identify Hilary Duff as being inter-changeable with the character she plays. Duff has launched her own clothing line, has been in movies, and sings.

“Spins a web any size … look out, here comes Spiderman” (theme from Spiderman television cartoon series). While girls have been inundated with images of Lizzie McGuire, boys have been captured in Spiderman’s web. As a result of the movie Spiderman, and good marketing techniques, ranging from red t-shirts to school backpacks, we find it is not surprising boys consider Spiderman as a role model. A Grade Three boy said, “Spiderman is my role model because he is brave and he fights bad guys.”

If characters from television and movies seem to be popular role models, so are musicians. One boy picked DMX, a rapper he has seen on television and in video games. Mandeep explained, “I like his songs because they are so cool.” When we, the teacher researchers did an Internet search for some DMX songs, many contained profane lyrics, such as “Let’s set this shit off” and “Fuck y’all niggaz.” In our opinion, this is not an ideal role model for an eight-year-old child. He may hear swearing from other sources, but the fact that his role model uses this language regularly in his songs might make it seem acceptable to Mandeep. It is surprising to us that a child of this age somehow gained access to such an age inappropriate style of music. As a result of us knowing our students, we can help them recognize role models that are perhaps more suitable.

Our younger and less mature students tended to base their choice of role model on a person or occupation they would like to become when they grow up. The older and more mature students, on the other hand, chose role models for their achievements, skill level, or perceived characteristics. The next stage of development shows the ability to analyze the potential role models’ characteristics and actions. This growth is exhibited in the results of our students,who chose athletes. The kindergarten boys selected two hockey players and a basketball player. All three boys expressed their enjoyment in playing these games. For example, Chris claimed he “wants to be a hockey player.” Sally also chose a sport based on her own experience (figure skating), and recognized the need to practice her sport.

The studies of Anderson and Cavallaro (2002), Bromnick and Swallow (1999) noted large clusters of boys choosing athletes as their role models. Seven boys and two girls chose athletes as role models for our study. This represents 39% of the role models in our study. Sam, in high school, picked Alan Iverson, a NBA basketball player. Sam based his choice on the skills of Iverson as well as the adversity the player had experienced before his success in the professional sports arena. The Grade Seven boys in the study clearly stated they would personally only consider a person as a role model if the person had athletic ability or appeared to be physically fit. The individual did not have to be a professional athlete, but needed to have the physicality of an athlete. Kyle said, “A role model doesn’t have to be an athlete, but I would only choose one.” Shivani is a Grade Seven student and involved in many team sports, including soccer. She chose Kara Lang of the Canadian National Women’s Soccer Team as her role model. Shivani chose this role model on her skill, commitment, and “using her gift given from God.” Lang is not a celebrity athlete. She is not high profile in the media nor is women’s soccer. In contrast, the other students selected well-known, celebrity athletes. These athletes are not only successful in their sport, but also in the marketing and salary aspects of the male dominated sports industry.

We witnessed the ability of a Grade Seven student to analyze events and change his perspective based on a specific incident. Ajay chose Todd Bertuzzi, of the Vancouver Canucks, as his role model. A few of the reasons Ajay gave for picking Bertuzzi are: “When he is on ice he is amazing and really brave because every game he hits players a lot and body checks them” and “He gets respect from his team but not from other teams.” Shortly after Ajay completed his worksheet and discussed his choice in the small group, Todd Bertuzzi checked a player from behind and caused a serious and possibly career ending injury. One researcher asked Ajay how he felt and if it affected his admiration of the hockey player. He replied, “I’m really disappointed. I don’t know if he’ll still be my role model. What he (Bertuzzi) does in the future will make up my mind.” Ajay showed the maturity to weigh his values against the actions of his role model. The severity of the incident seemed to have changed Ajay’s perspective. He was once proud of the strength and aggression of the hockey player, now he is unsure whether Bertuzzi will remain his role model, as he does not want to align himself with this extreme show of aggression.