508 SECTIONAL TRANSACTIONS.—L. 
opposition, as these so-called laws express a Calvinistic determination which is 
resented. 
Far better would it be to include a knowledge of sex reproduction and the pressure 
of population on the means of subsistence in a simple course of natural history or 
animal biology which dealt with the habits and activities rather than with the structure 
of well-known animals. 
Tuesday, September 29. 
Report of Committee on Educational and Documentary Films. (Sir 
RicHarpD Grecory, Bt.; Mr. J. Lb. Hottanp. See page 325.) 
ScHoot BroapcastING (with Demonstration) :— 
Mr. Frank Roscoe. 
Discussion. (Sir Watrorp Davies; Rt. Hon. Lorp Eustace Percy, 
Pane) 
Questions. (Miss Mary SoMERVILLE.) 
Prof. WINIFRED CuLtis, C.B.E.—Broadcasting in Adult Education. 
Broadcasting, through the matter sent out in the general programmes, must 
inevitably exert a powerful educational and informative influence. But, in addition 
to this general way of assisting education, the B.B.C. is experimenting in two special 
fields with the giving of more definite and formal educationalinstruction. The present 
paper refers to its work in the field of broadcast adult education, which is being steadily 
developed in the light of experience and of analysis of accumulated data. 
Extensive developments in this direction date from the publication in 1928 of 
‘New Ventures in Broadcasting,’ the Report of the Hadow Committee set up jointly 
by the B.B.C. and the British Institute of Adult Education. From the outset the 
work has been closely associated with the adult education movement. It has come 
to supplement not to usurp the activities of others. To secure the proper adjustment 
of functions, the Central Council for Broadcast Adult Education was set up in 1928. 
It is a Council nationally representative of the major interests in organised adult 
education in this country. Its present chairman is the Archbishop of York. 
While development has been along lines of co-operation, the Council has also been 
concerned with exploring the new and distinctive features of a broadcast service 
which necessarily call for the elaboration of an independent technique and a study 
of the new audience. A survey of the work since 1928 concerns itself, therefore, with 
these two main problems: the interesting and getting together of this new and 
specialised audience and the development of a specialised programme technique. 
The Problem of the Listening Public.—Here there were special conditions to be 
faced. An audience of isolated units lacking the cohesion and discipline of formal 
classes, and embracing immense varieties of type and of standards of intelligence. 
An inherent danger of passive and uncritical reception of facts and opinions. The 
prejudices and suspicions roused in the general public by anything bearing the 
doubtful hall mark of ‘ education.’ 
To secure the active interest and response of an intangible audience, it has been 
necessary to develop a mode of presentation which will itself evoke active response, 
and to support this by supplementary measures. These have included the preparation 
of associated literature. First, a Talks Programme to evoke interest in what is to 
come, secondly, special pamphlets in connection with special courses and, thirdly, 
the Listener. 
Further, there has been the encouragement of the formation of study circles or 
discussion groups in connection with courses of broadcast talks. (The number of 
discussion groups formed during the winter of 1930-31 was well over a thousand.) 
Education officers have been appointed to various areas, and Area Councils have 
