Subject: Social Studies Type of Lesson: Web-based, Discussion, Group Work

Grade: 10 CSEC OBJ: Outline the Factors that Influence the

Outcomes of Elections (Section A, #
19)

Term: 2 Unit Number # 1- Government

and Title:

Duration: 2 x 35 minutes Week Number: 3

Lesson Number # 11 Factors Influencing Outcome of

and Title: Elections (1):
a. Media coverage
b. Campaign Advertising
c. Public Opinion Polls

Objectives
As a result of this lesson, the student will be able to:
1) identify media coverage, campaign advertising and public opinion
polls as factors impacting election results.
2) account for the growing involvement of the mass media in
covering elections.
3) assess the importance of public opinion polls to election outcome.
4) value the importance of campaign advertising to election outcome.

Prerequisite Student Knowledge

The student should be familiar with:
1) what an election is.
2) the electoral systems and processes in the Caribbean.
3) steps political parties take to prepare for elections.

Important Points
1) Mass communication technically refers to the process of
transferring or transmitting a message to a large group of people
typically, this requires the use of some form of media such as
newspapers, television, or the Internet:
(http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-mass-communications.htm );

Teacher Instructional Material 1

 2) The mass media is a key element in the transmission of
information in any election campaign. As such, media coverage of
elections has become a topical issue since mass media entities are
expected to be fair in their representation of all participants in the
electoral process. Chiefly, the mass media is supposed to inform
the public of the events leading up to the election in an unbiased
fashion.
3) Similarly, both media entities and political parties may
commission public opinion polls to find out the current trends and
feelings that exist within the electorate.

Key Terms

Advertising Campaign Mass Media

Public Opinion Poll

Challenge Areas
(To be done after you have completed this lesson)
1. Conduct a poll in your year group using an issue that is topical
and relevant to you.
a. Compose your questions or set of questions
b. Select your sample (the number of people you want to
ask the questions)
c. Choose a date to ask your poll questions
d. Record the answers
e. Tally your data then present the results using pie charts,
bar graphs, line graphs. Ensure that graphs are properly
labeled e.g. Figure 1.1 bar graph showing students
views on smoking.

Equipment/Materials Needed
Multimedia projector, computers with internet connectivity, pdf
reader and flash player, speakers / headsets for audio a spacious
classroom

Note to Teacher
Assist students to realize the power of the mass media by highlighting
the subtle messages that may influence the actions of the electorate.
Encourage students to watch, read, and listen to mass media with a

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 critical eye or ear. Be prepared to deal with partisan comments which
may infiltrate the class discussions. Do not declare your political
affiliations or sentiments; rather, try to keep discussions balanced and
unbiased using examples from both sides of the political divide.
Remember to relate the content of discussions back to the topic. Have
pictures and cartoons printed and download videos where possible so
that you have a back-up in the event that internet connectivity is lost.

Teachers Lesson Notes

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Introduction
1) Introductory Activity
What is meant by Election Outcome? Discussion of Map

a. Project the image of the map below onto the screen. Ask
the students these questions to stimulate discussion:
i. What type of information does the map provide?
ii. Which colour is more prominent on the map?
iii. What do you think these colours indicate?
iv. What does the key tell you?
v. Can you give the meanings for the abbreviations in
the key?
vi. Use a table to represent the information on the map.
Expected answers:
i. The map provides a summary of the election
results for the 2011 general elections held in
Jamaica
Notes ii. Orange is the more prominent colour on the map
iii. The colours indicate the constituencies won by
This is a type of
Political Map as it each political party
shows the iv. The abbreviations mean
constituency JLP Jamaica Labour Party
boundaries in
Jamaica. In 2011 PNP Peoples National Party
there were 63 National Democratic Movement
constituencies for MGPPP Marcus Garvey Peoples Political
the general
elections. Party
JAM Jamaica Alliance Movement

Box 11.1: Jamaicas General Election Results December 2011

(Source: http://www.jamaicapage.com/jamaica-elections-
2011-results/ )

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2) What are the Factors Influencing the Outcome of Elections? -
Brainstorming

a. Tell students to look at the map again then ask them

i. Why do you think that the election results tuned out
this way?
Expected answer: Party membership, mass
meetings, door-to- newspaper, television, internet
advertising, bribery, poll results, indifference to the
election process, the number of people who voted,
the strength or type of campaign.

Note students responses on the white/chalkboard.

b. Project the following concept map onto the screen. Then

ask students to place responses noted on the board into the
categories indicated on the concept map.

Box 11.2 Concept Map of factors influencing Election

Outcome

c. Inform students that this lesson is about the factors that

influence the outcome of elections.

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Body of Lesson
1) What is Media Coverage? Internet Use, Discovery
a. Direct students to the following webpages and have them
read the information on mass media and coverage>>.
Notes http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-mass-media.htm (What
is Mass Media?)
The mass media http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/coverage (coverage)
are all those
media i. Tell students to write a definition of media coverage
technologies that based on what they read from the webpages above.
are intended to Expected answer: The extent to which the mass
reach a large
audience by mass media is used to present an issue or person
communication
Select five (5) students and ask them to share their
definitions of media coverage with the class

b. How does Media Coverage impact on the outcome of

elections? - Discussion of video

Instruct students to load the YouTube video below>>.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4HuVkSoCz
tQ (Audley Shaw at JLP Mass Rally)
Tell students to scroll the timeline, then select and watch
the section from 5:20-6:20 minutes
Ask students these questions:
i. What issue is Audley Shaw presenting to the
audience?
Expected answer: Biased media coverage of
elections
ii. Why does Audley Shaw call the news analysts Old
Hypocrites?
Expected answer: He believes that they are
affiliated with his rival party the PNP
iii. How do you think that the biased analysis will
impact on the outcome of the elections?
Expected answer: Biased coverage will influence
floating voters to vote in favour of the party being
portrayed in a positive light.

c. Why is unbiased and balanced media coverage of elections

important? Group Work, Internet Use
Divide the class into four (4) groups
Assign students to one of the following groups to read
sections of the article found at >>.
http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/elections/news/Were-
election-stories-balanced-_10462385 (Were election stories
balanced?)

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 Group A paragraphs 1-5
Group B paragraphs 6-10
Group C paragraphs 11-16
Group D paragraphs 17-21
Instruct students to present a to the class a summary of the
section read in their groups.
Ask students to:
i. State the authors view of the interviewing styles of
Dionne Jackson Miller and Cliff Hughes
ii. Identify two (2) instances of biased media coverage
as referred to in the article
iii. Give two instances of balanced media coverage
based on the article.
Expected answers:
i. The author thinks that Dionne Jackson-
Miller has a more astute style of
interviewing than Cliff Hughes who is more
lenient towards his interviewee.
ii. One instance of biased reporting referred to
was Ian Boynes article in the Sunday
Gleaner The Great Debate where he
commended the JLP for the strong points in
their manifesto. Another instance was in the
Jamaica Observer where Tamara Scott in her
article The Great Debate praised Mrs.
Simpson- Miller for her stance against
homophobia.
iii. 14 neutral articles from the Gleaner and
Conrad Hamilton from the Observer being a
balanced columnist.

2) What are Public Opinion Polls? Internet Use

a. Instruct students to go to the website below>>.

http://polljamaica.com/
What do you i. Tell students to read the poll question on the screen
think? then click on the question
ii. Students may then cast their vote by selecting the
Why do you think
public opinion polls option of their choice
are important? Give b. Direct students to read the definitions of public opinion
5 reasons. and public opinion polls on slide #2 of the PowerPoint
presentation found at the following webpage>>.
http://www.slideshare.net/drturnerworldhistory/public-
opinion-12065878 (Public Opinion and the News Media)

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 Tell students to highlight the words that they think are
important to the definition of public opinion poll and
explain why.

c. Why are public opinion polls important to the outcome of

elections? internet use & discussion

Direct students to study the Gleaner/Las May Cartoons

found at the following websites>>.
http://www.jamaicaelections.com/local/2012/cartoons/inde
x.php?offset=11 (Rise N Shine)
http://www.jamaicaelections.com/general/2011/cartoons/in
dex.php?offset=6 (Polls PNP Leads)
Then start a discussion using the following questions as a
guide:
i. Who are the main characters in Cartoon A?
ii. Why do you think that the main character
encourages the other to Rise n Shine!
iii. How does the newspaper caption in Cartoon B
impact on the conversation?
iv. What does the conversation reveal about political
polls?
Expected answers:
i. Portia Simpson-Miller (Prime Minister) and
the electorate
ii. The electorate is being encouraged to vote in
the local government elections. This is so
because the electorate has become
complacent and does not place as much
importance on Local Government elections
Try This! as they do General elections.
Develop critical iii. The newspaper caption suggests that the
thinking skills by PNP is leading however the conversation
sending students to
websites with impacted because winning the election can
election cartoons. only be done by voting
Give them questions iv. While polls make predictions these cannot
to guide the thought
process. become reality with action (voting).

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 A

Box 11.4 (A &B) Jamaica Election Poll Cartoons

d. Tell students to go to the webpage below>>.

http://www.ehow.com/list_6385915_advantages-public-
opinion-polling.html (Advantages of Public Opinion
Polling). Have students read the article then:

i. List the advantages of public opinion polls

mentioned.
ii. Next, ask students to deduce three (3) disadvantages
of public opinion polls.
Expected answer:
i. Advantages of public opinion polls include they are
usually easy to conduct, participants usually
understand what polls are, polls also act as
guidelines for politicians.
ii. Three disadvantages of public opinion polls are
that it promotes corruption because lobbyists fund
parties and request favours in return for their
sponsorship of polls. Also, polls tend to determine
what is reported or focused on during election
coverage on the mass media. Finally, pollster may

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 use selection bias to gain favourable responses.
This happens where the researcher intentionally
selects people who they know have a particular
view to participate in the poll.

3) What is Campaign Advertising? discussion of cartoon

a. Project the cartoon below unto the screen, then use it to

stimulate a discussion within the class. Let students
brainstorm their views on what Campaign advertising is.

Box 11. 5 Campaign Advertising

b. How does Campaign advertising influence election

outcome? - Videos, Internet use

Direct students to watch the following videos

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AIks-
IdKZt8&feature=BFa&list=UUSN72IEKuHa1uBtcECure9
w (The Economy: Team PNP 2011 Manifesto Series)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eAdU6MUrALg&featur
e=bf_next&list=FL9iPA8_5_oj7l03bojZRU0w (The
Positive Jamaica Foundation)

i. Watch each video and compare the content. Write a

short essay outlining TWO strong points and TWO
weak points of each video. Then explain how each
video may influence the outcome of elections.

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Closure
In Class Assignment
1) Look at the cartoon below then state three (3) observations that
you have made. Is Campaign Advertising only important to
political parties?

Box 11.6 Gleaner Cartoon

Supplemental
Out-of-Class Assignment
1) Go through newspaper articles with Jamaica election tags to try
and find evidence of biased reporting.

2) Conduct a poll in your community to find out which type of mass

media is most effective at convincing residents to vote for a
particular party
i. Give three reasons why the type of mass media selected was
most influential
ii. State three reasons for the type of mass media receiving the
lowest votes being least influential.

3) Read relevant sections in textbooks.

Glossary of Terms

Advertising This is a form of communication used to

encourage or persuade an audience (viewers,
readers or listeners; sometimes a specific group
of people) to continue or take some new action.

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Campaign A political campaign is an organized effort
which seeks to influence the decision making
process within a specific group.

Mass Media Refers to all those media technologies that are

intended to reach a large audience by mass
communication

Public Opinion This is a survey of public opinion from a

Poll particular sample, which are usually designed to
represent the opinions of a population by
conducting a series of questions and then
extrapolating generalities.

CSEC Questions
a. What is a public opinion poll? (2 marks)

b. State two ways in which public opinion polls may impact on the
results of an election. (2 marks)

c. Explain why campaign advertising is important to the outcome of

elections. (4 marks

d. i. As the chairman of the Broadcasting Commission, suggest to

media entities THREE strategies to improve their journalism so as
to reduce biased reporting of election activities. (6 marks)
ii. For each suggestion, justify why this will work. (6 marks)

Recommended Materials
The web-link below will prove useful to further understanding the
lesson.
1. http://www.cvmtv.com/documents/cvmdon_nov2011.pdf
(Result of November 2011 National Poll)

2. http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/No-political-adverts--
campaign--polls-from-midnight-Dec-27_10392491 (No
political adverts, campaign polls from midnight)

Bibliography

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Buckle-Scott, L, Davis-Morrison, V, Louis, A and Lunt P. (2012).
Social Studies for CSEC. Cheltenham: Nelson Thornes Ltd.

Source
Box 11.1
[General Elections 2011 results]. Retrieved June 10, 2012, from:
http://www.jamaicapage.com/jamaica-elections-2011-results/

Box 11.4
[Polls PNP Leads]. Retrieved June 10, 2012, from:
http://www.jamaicaelections.com/general/2011/cartoons/index.
php?offset=6

Box 11.6
[Campaign Ads Feast]. Retrieved June 10, 2012, from:
http://www.jamaicaelections.com/general/2011/cartoons/index.
php?offset=5

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