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Dr. Ronda Scantlin's interests have focused on understanding how children, adolescents and families use media in their daily lives and how that use influences child development and family functioning. Most recently, in a chapter for Communication begins with children: A lifespan communication sourcebook, she explored critical issues surrounding the acquisition of media literacy skills from childhood through late adolescence as well as examined the influence of these types of experiences on well-being. She has studied children's media activities (particularly time spent with television and interactive games), the relationship between children's early television viewing and school readiness, the prevalence of cross-media advertising on children's preferences for mature media entertainment and families' use of the television rating system and V-Chip technology. Her work, in collaboration with her colleagues, has been published in outlets such as Journal of Family Communication, Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, Child Development and the Encyclopedia of Children, Adolescents and the Media.

Faculty perspective

"My interactions with many of our students are among the most rewarding experiences as a UD professor. I also appreciate the opportunities offered to faculty (e.g., teaching fellows, travel support, LTC programs, technology training) that facilitate improvements and innovation within teaching, research, and service."

Research interests

• Media and Digital Literacy
• Mass Media Effects
• Lifespan Development
• Family Communication
• Vocational Discernment

Courses taught

• CMM 201: Foundations of Mass Communication
• CMM 305: Emergent Adulthood
• CMM 410: Family Communication
• CMM 447: Children & Mass Media
• CMM 471: Communication & Digital Literacy
• CMM 491: Communication Vocation Capstone
• CMM 499: Communication Across the Lifespan
• COM 571: Mass Media Processes & Effects  
• ASI 160: Discover Arts First Year Seminar
• PSY 251: Human Growth & Development
  

Selected publications

Scantlin, R. M. (2021). Media literacy education as a context for children's communication. In Socha, T. J., Punyanunt-Carter, N. (Eds.), Communication begins with children: A lifespan communication sourcebook. New York: Peter Lang. 

Robinson, J. D., & Scantlin, R. M. (2014). Impact of media content. In T.L. Thompson (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Health Communication (pp. 822-824). Thousand Oaks, Calif.: SAGE.

Scantlin, R. M. (2008). Media use across childhood: Access, time and content. In S. L. Calvert & B. J. Wilson (Eds.), The handbook of children, media, and development (pp. 51-73). Malden, Mass.: Blackwell Publishers.

Scantlin, R. M. (2007). Advertising, effects on children. In J. Arnett (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Children, Adolescents, and the Media (pp. 26-29). Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Sage Publications.

Scantlin, R. M., & Jordan, A. B. (2006). Families' experiences with the V-Chip: An exploratory study. Journal of Family Communication, 6, 139-159.

Wright, J. C., Huston, A. C., Murphy, K. C., St. Peters, M., Pinon, M., Scantlin, R. M., & Kotler, J. A. (2001). The relations of early television viewing to school readiness and vocabulary of children from low-income families: The Early Window Project. Child Development, 72, 1347-1366.

Wright, J. C., Huston, A. C., Vandewater, E., Bickham, D. S., Scantlin, R. M., Kotler, J. A., Caplovitz, A. G., Lee, J., Hofferth, S., & Finkelstein, J. (2001). American children's use of electronic media in 1997: A national survey. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 22, 31-47.

Scantlin, R. M. (2008). "Media use across childhood: Access, time and content." In S. L. Calvert & B. J. Wilson (Eds.), The handbook of children, media, and development (pp. 51-73). Malden, Mass.: Blackwell Publishers.

Scantlin, R. M. (2007). "Advertising, effects on children." In J. Arnett (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Children, Adolescents, and the Media (pp. 26-29). Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Sage Publications.

Scantlin, R. M., & Jordan, A. B. (2006). "Families' experiences with the V-Chip: An exploratory study." Journal of Family Communication, 6, 139-159.

Wright, J. C., Huston, A. C., Murphy, K. C., St. Peters, M., Pinon, M., Scantlin, R. M., & Kotler, J. A. (2001). "The relations of early television viewing to school readiness and vocabulary of children from low-income families: The Early Window Project." Child Development, 72, 1347-1366.

Wright, J. C., Huston, A. C., Vandewater, E., Bickham, D. S., Scantlin, R. M., Kotler, J. A., Caplovitz, A. G., Lee, J., Hofferth, S., & Finkelstein, J. (2001). "American children's use of electronic media in 1997: A national survey." Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 22, 31-47.