Media analysis as critical reflexology in exploring adult learning theories

Abstract

Examining media artifacts as a learning method has received little attention in human resource development (HRD) despite it being a predominate form of information and influence in popular culture. As Giroux (2002) opines, media functions as a form of public pedagogy by offering situations and contexts through which viewers can vicariously experience, critique, reflect, and learn about individual and group differences. Although adult education has a long history of using popular culture to examine and teach critical pedagogical practices, its focus within the HRD literature and practice has been limited. Our summary article will synthesize the student-authored articles' results using themes found in Wright and Sandlin's (2010) review of adult education and media analysis literature. We then discuss the student-author experiences of interacting with their media artifact and the relative implications for instructional practice and furthering research on critical HRD, adult learning, and media analysis.