Making Room for Media Studies

Abstract

Abstract Media education has developed rapidly to a stage of seeking recognition and space within the primary, secondary and tertiary sectors. Making room for this new interdisciplinary study presents a particular problem in the context of the overcrowded secondary school curriculum. Enthusiasts must therefore put forward a well justified case, based on a clear perception of what the study is ‘about’. The author outlines evidence, derived from three years’ research in Scottish secondary schools, of the current range of theoretical approaches, curriculum models and teaching practices. He identifies an urgent need for whole school policies, media education school coordinators and area resource centres to provide material backing; and he argues that, to make their challenge effective, media educationalists must resolve uncertainties of theory and practice through a process of debate and development work supported by research and evaluation.