Media Literacy Curriculum Research Articles

Struggling at School: Are Exposure to Television's Eurocentric Appearance Norms and Objectified Body Consciousness Associated Factors?

Theoretical work on objectified body consciousness, comprised of body surveillance and body shame, proposes several negative sequelae of holding an objectified view of the self (i.e., valuing the body primarily for its attractiveness to others). Few studies have examined associations between objectified body consciousness and academic beliefs and strategies among adolescent girls, especially girls of color. In the present study, we investigated a conceptual model whereby exposure to Eurocentric appearance norms through TV consumption is related to body surveillance and body shame which, in turn, are related to academic beliefs and strategies among a racially diverse sample of United States girls. Participants were 650 self-identified Asian American/Pacific Islander, Black, and White adolescent girls ( Mage = 15.45, SDage = 1.50). Higher Eurocentric appearance norms exposure was associated with higher body shame which, in turn, was associated with maladaptive academic beliefs and strategies for all three groups of girls. In contrast, higher Eurocentric appearance norms exposure was associated with higher body surveillance and just one academic belief, and in White girls only. Future work should continue to examine these associations among adolescent girls of color. In addition, we encourage educators to include body image content in media literacy curricula as a means of disrupting associations between Eurocentric appearance norms, body shame, and academic functioning.

Citizenship education: A media literacy course taught in Japanese university

This case study documents the effort to prototype a media literacy curriculum based on Herman and Chomsky (2010)'s Propaganda Model as well as the target students’ environment and need analysis. The course is implemented under a Content and Language Integrated Learning program for 30 first-year undergraduate students in Sophia University, Japan. The objective is to develop students’ awareness of issues facing society they live in, along with the capacity to think critically about media information, deliberate in public discourse via expression of individual opinions, and exchange with others. Evaluation study is conducted upon completion of the course to examine whether, or to what extent, that objective is realized, using qualitative method. Results show positive impacts on students’ learning, providing valuable inputs for further iterations of curriculum design in citizenship and media literacy education.

The Role of Media Literacy in the Educational Field in the Conditions of a Pandemic

The article analyzes the regulatory framework for the introduction of media education in the education system of Ukraine, identifies key competencies that modern youth should possess. The purpose of the article is to analyze the international experience of implementing media literacy curricula in the educational process. The following methods were used in the research: analysis of scientific and pedagogical literature, generalization, synthesis, formulation of conclusions. Results. The international experience of implementation of media literacy curricula in the educational process was studied. A scheme of a single information and educational space in the context of media education has been built, which will ensure the formation of a conscious and responsible consumer of media content. The authors have proposed the ways to organize collaboration with the class, together with the stages of training "Learning and behavior in the virtual classroom". The benefit of the study is that the possibilities of services and resources for collaboration remotely in a Covid-19 pandemic are analyzed, namely services for creating knowledge maps (Coggle, Cacoo), and bulletin boards (Padlet, Linoit), which allow you to organize collaboration and provide proper functionality. The article suggests the examples of tasks with the use of these resources are demonstrated. The authors state that for a long time media literacy has grown and evolved, but it is important to understand that recent advances and events, such as fake news, propaganda, bias, stereotypes and their widespread mechanisms in the fake media, have made media literacy even more relevant and necessary. They define that media literacy is a worldview; it forms a different view of everything we read, see and hear. Conclusions. The expected results of the formation of media competence and digital literacy as its component due to the integration of media education into compulsory disciplines, separate special courses, electives or clubs are formulated in the article as an important and necessary prerequisite for the formation of a modern information society. The authors conclude that the acquired knowledge, skills and abilities will allow people to analyse, critically evaluate and create messages of different genres and forms for different types of media, as well as to understand and analyse the complex processes of media functioning in society and their impact on their lives.

Prevalence and Correlates of Sext-Sharing Among a Representative Sample of Youth in the Netherlands.

Many adolescents use their electronic devices to send each other sexually explicit texts, photos, and videos of themselves—commonly known as sexting. This can be fun and is not usually problematic. However, if the intended recipient decides to share these sexts with a broader audience, the consequences for the depicted can be detrimental. The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence of (non-consensual) sext-sharing among Dutch adolescents and explore the characteristics of those who do, to gain a better understanding of factors involved in dissemination. We used data from “Sex under the age of 25,” a representative national survey on sexual health among a sample of 20,834 Dutch 12–24-year-olds. The prevalence of sext-sharing was estimated using Complex Samples. Logistic regressions were used to assess associations between demographics, school-based sexting education, sexual- and online behavior, and mental health and sext-sharing. About 4% of the adolescents reported having shared someone else's sext in the last six months. Being male, aged 12–14 years, frequent social media usage, watching online porn, sexual experience, and being subjected to sext-sharing themselves associated most strongly with sext-sharing. Our findings show that the likelihood of sext-sharing is lower in older adolescents and that it associates with the extent of adolescents' sexual curiosity and online activity. The overlap between sharing sexts of others and having one's own sext shared suggests that dissemination of personal sexual content might be normalized or used as an act of retribution. Further research could be helpful to explain the mechanisms underlying this overlap. The results of this study illustrate the importance of exposing adolescents to evidence based preventive educational interventions on sexting from 12 years onwards and not just within the context of traditional school-based sex education, but also as a part of the (online) media-literacy curriculum.

Who Consumes New Media Content More Wisely? Examining Personality Factors, SNS Use, and New Media Literacy in the Era of Misinformation

With the emergence of new media technologies, being new media literate and able to critically analyze new media information are important to young adults, a group of individuals that are particularly active on social media. However, since the development of new media literacy, no study to date examined demographic characteristics, personality factors, and social network site (SNS) use related to it. More importantly, no research examined the relationship between new media literacy and perceptions and actions related to controversial issues. These under-explored facets deter practitioners from tailoring future new media literacy curricula and identifying the targeted audience. With a survey of 551 young adults, our study revealed that media literacy practitioners should devote more attention to (a) Caucasian males with low SNS use, (b) non-Caucasian females with low SNS use, and (c) individuals with low Need for Cognition and SNS use. Our study further showed that increasing new media literacy can help reduce misperceptions induced by misinformation that is rampant in the new media environment.

Assessing and fostering college students’ algorithm awareness across online contexts

Internet users may fail to recognize how algorithms filter and personalize information. Two studies explored college students’ algorithm awareness across varying contexts. Study 1 examined Facebook users’ awareness of its algorithms (N = 222). Only about half recognized that Facebook does not show all their friends’ posts. These students more often reported making adjustments to News Feed settings than students lacking algorithm awareness. Study 2 compared students’ (N = 244) algorithm awareness for online shopping and search, and the efficacy of video instruction to increase awareness. Students were more algorithm aware for online shopping. Compared to those who watched a video on Internet storage, students who watched a video on Internet algorithms showed greater understanding of how search results are personalized. Across studies, students demonstrated high media literacy knowledge, yet knowledge was inconsistently related to algorithm awareness. This suggests the need to incorporate instruction about algorithms into media literacy curricula.

Reimagining Religiously Segregated Spaces: Building Interfaith Sites Through Participatory Photography

This article discusses the findings of a participatory photography project that was conceptualized to help Hindu and Muslim students reimagine the religiously marked public spaces they inhabit in their villages. This study is a part of a 2-year long ethnographic project undertaken by the researchers to codesign, with 180 students, critical media literacy curriculum to counter religious discrimination among adolescents in three villages of the Sanand tehsil of Ahmedabad district in Gujarat. In this study, we argue that the configuration of public sites and residential complexes which use religious identities as a categorical imperative reinforce the communal divide in interfaith societies. It is, thus, crucial to create a site for interfaith engagements where young individuals can collectively participate to make sense of the spaces they inhabit and in this participation change the normalized code of conduct. In this article, we concede that participatory photography provides an avenue through which the young student-participants can find ways to communicate with the “religious other” and insert public imagination with new meanings related to the physical sites they frequent.

“I am not alone”: The Additional Benefits of Critical Media Literacy

Despite the potential for technology to bring us together, current research shows that new media can actually exacerbate social disconnect and contribute to feelings of isolation, inadequacy, and anxiety. However, young women in treatment for eating disorders reported that participation in a critical media literacy curriculum helped combat isolation. More specifically, participants revealed that the discussion generated throughout the critical media literacy curriculum fostered a sense of reciprocity, companionship, self-expression, and empathy. These findings suggest that critical media literacy curricula can provide a much-needed opportunity for dialogue where individuals not only hone their understanding of media and work towards social justice, but also develop a sense of community and connection that may be missing in today’s networked culture.

Effectiveness of a School-Based Media Literacy Curriculum in Encouraging Critical Attitudes about Advertising Content and Forms among Boys and Girls

This study examines the effectiveness of media literacy education (MLE) in fostering critical attitudes toward advertising in both traditional and newer, more embedded forms (e.g., product placement or in social media), as well as toward gender stereotypes and violence in advertising. It uses pre- and post-MLE comparisons following a four-hour, four-week in-school program conducted with a sample of 117 participating students (average age =10.53) at a location in the United States, exploring whether advertising literacy outcomes differ by gender. Results suggest stronger dislike of ads and a stronger critique of the lack of realism in ads upon completion of the MLE program among participants as a whole. Stronger unfavorable attitudes toward stereotypical portrayals of boys and girls in advertising as well as toward violence in advertising were found only among girls. No support was registered for increased scrutiny of the practice of hidden or embedded advertising. Implications of MLE for the ways in which children can be encouraged to approach advertising from a critical point of view are discussed.

Perceived media influence on youth bullying and substance abuse behaviors

Social influences and ‘new media’ may contribute to students participating in risky health be-haviors. An evidence-based, digital media literacy curriculum was delivered by members of a communitysubstance abuse prevention coalition to upper elementary-aged students in a local afterschool program.Written pre-post assessments of perceived media influence on their health risk behaviors were completedby participants. Mean pre-test scores for ‘Influence of the Internet’ were significantly (p<.01) higher thanpost-test scores. Results reflect participants reporting the internet had less influence on their health choicespost-program than pre-program. Media literacy interventions can be effective when used in the afterschoolsetting.

Risiko Online Pada Remaja dan Pendidikan Literasi Media Baru

Teenager aged 10-19 years is the digital native generation and thetj are connected with the virtual world almost every time. Online activities they do, among others, are connected through social media, search for information on various websites, downloading music, watching movies via YouTube, read the news, play on-line games, and etc. Teens' on-line activity behind it has a variety of risks and should be examined together with any kind of on-line risks experienced by adolescents as a first step in order to minimize the negative effects that rcould occur. This article contains a study of the conceptualization of on-line risk, scope and classification of on-line risk; featuring a wide range of research<br />011 the influence of social environment on the risk of on-line teens; and attempts to deal with the risk of negative media that hit young people through new media literacy education. Media literacy curriculum that already exist.>hould be adapted to the characteristics of new media. At its core, the new media literacy should include: (1) media literacy; (2) d igital technologtj literacy; (3) civil and social respol?sibility; and ( 4) imagination and creativih;.

Children, Adolescents, and the Media: Ten Mistakes We've Made and How to Fix Them.

Preface Barbara Wilson Introduction Dorothy G. Singer Chapter 1 Children and Adolescents: Unique Audiences Media Enviornment and Habits of Today's Youth Children Are Different From Adults Children Are Different from Each Other Adolescents Are Different From Children Develpomental Differences in Processing the Mass Media Conclusion Exercises References Chapter 2 Advertising Historical Changes in Advertising to Children Content Analyses of Television Advertising Cognitive Processing of Advertising Persuasive Impact of Advertising Phases of Consumer Behavior During Childhood Marketing Strategies in the 21st Century Regulation of Advertising Targeted to Youth Teaching Advertising LIteracy Conclusion Exercises References Chapter 3 Educational Media Economic and Regulatory Forces That Affect Educational Media Children's Learning From Media Learning to Learn From Media Conclusion Exercises References Chapter 4 Prosocial Effects of Media Prosocial Media for Adolescents National and International Prosocial Efforts Ratings Exercises References Chapter 5 Media Violence How Violent Are American Media? Does Media Violence Attract Youth? Can Media Violence Lead to Aggression? Can Media Violence Desensitize Young People? Can Media Violence Produce Fear? Cultural Debates About Media Violence Guns and the Media Suicide and the Media Marketing Violence to Youth Government Regulation of Media Violence Japan Verses the United States: A Cross-Cultural Comparision Can Media Violence Have Positive Effects? Conclusion Exercises References Chapter 6 Sexuality and the Media Background Television as a Source of Sexual Information What Do Children and Teenagers Learn From Television? Why Teenagers May Be Particularly Susceptible to Sexual Content in the Media Movies Questionable Language and Taste in Movies and Television: A New Trend? Print Media The Nature of the Research Prosocial Sexual Content on Television Contraceptive Advertising Pornography Solutions Conclusion: Unanswered Questions Exercises References Chapter 7 Drugs and the Media Adolescent Drug Use Determinants of Child and Adolescent Drug Use Impact of Advertising on Children and Adolescents Cigarettes Alcohol Drugs Solutions Exercises References Chapter 8 Rock Music and Music Videos Rock 'n' Roll Music How Teenagers Use Music Music Videos and Music Television (MTV) Conclusion Exercises References Chapter 9 Eating and Eating Disorders Food Advertisements The Impact of Food Advertisements on Behavior Food in Television Programming and Movies Food Advertised in Schools Does Television Viewing Increase Childhood Obesity? Eating Disorders and Body Image Disordered Body Image Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Conclusion Solutions Exercises References Chapter 10 Video Games Definitions The Development of Video Games Time Commitment Why Are Video Games Popular? Game Preference Game Ratings A Closer Look at Violent Video Games The Importance of a Preference for Violent Video Games Research on the Effects of Playing Violent Video Games A Brief Word About Online Games Video Games and Health The Positive Potential of Video Games Video Games and Education Implications for Public Policy and for Parents Exercises References Chapter 11 The Internet Are Children and Adolescents Using the Internet? Are Parents Concerned? The Internet: What Is It? Concerns About the Net Sex on the Net: A Primary Concern Advertising Food Products to Children: The Latest Concern Other Areas of Concern Solutions to Internet Concerns On the Positive Side Conclusion Exercises References Chapter 12 The Family and Media The Home as a Multimedia Environment Socialization to Media Use Within the Family Context Parental Mediation of Children's Media Use Theoretical Perspectives Reducing Screen Time in the Home Exercises References Chapter 13 Media Literacy/Media Education: Solution to Big Media Demands for Change Big Media: Part of the Solution? Defining Media Literacy Media Education Uses of Media Literacy Does Media Literacy Work? Reviewing the Literature Teaching Media Literacy Skills Media Literacy and Public Health: Tobacco, Alcohol, and Drugs Use of Emotion Conundrum: Big Money Media Literacy and Public Health: Nutrition and Obesity Media Literacy and Public Health: Body Image Media Literacy and Violence Violence: Changing the Media Diet Violence: Coviewing and Mediation Media Literacy Programs as Violence Intervention Using Media Productions Channel One: The Largest Media Literacy Experiment Channel One's Media Literacy Curriculum The Research on Channel One Media Literacy and Parents Media Literacy and Corporate Funding Teaching Media Literacy Content of Media Literacy Student-Produced Anti-Ads Skills of Media Literacy A Sample Deconstruction Media Literacy Production Creating Counter-Ads Activism and Media Education Summary Exercises References

Intervening in the Media's Influence on Stereotypes of Race and Ethnicity: The Role of Media Literacy Education

This article provides a review of the research record on the potential for media literacy education to intervene in the media's influence on racial and ethnic stereotypes, and explores the theoretical concepts that underlie these efforts. It situates media literacy theory and practice within particular emphases in the field and synthesizes qualitative and quantitative studies. Quantitative research on the effect of media literacy training and mediated counterstereotypes on reducing racial/ethnic prejudice is described. In addition, we report qualitative data from an ongoing study of early adolescents who took part in a media literacy curriculum on stereotypes. The research record reveals that although the topic is severely understudied, media literacy education holds great promise for its ability to shape media‐related knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors and encourage an active and critical stance toward media.

Processing of Sexual Media Messages Improves Due to Media Literacy Effects on Perceived Message Desirability

This study tested the double-edged desirability hypothesis to investigate whether a lack of reduction in desirability perceptions signified failure of a media literacy intervention to reduce the appeal of sexual portrayals or whether it instead represented an improved awareness of message-design techniques and, therefore, a successful intervention. Data from two media literacy curriculum evaluations, both pretest–posttest quasi-experiments with control groups (N1 = 922, M = 14.13, SD = 1.07; N2 = 1,098, M = 14.26, SD = 1.06) showed that the media literacy treatment in both studies eliminated the effect of desirability on participants’ attitudes, reduced the effect of message desirability on participants’ expectancies, and reduced the effect of message desirability on participants’ efficacy in one of the evaluations. The results supported the double-edged desirability hypothesis, which holds that media literacy education can diminish the influence of desirable but unrealistic sexual media messages on adolescents’ decision making concerning sex, regardless of whether it decreases their affinity for the messages. This approach appears to represent a more effective alternative to demonizing media messages teens find desirable.

Helping Students Understand Media: Examining the Efficacy of Interdisciplinary Media Training at the University Level

Media literacy interventions offer relatively new and promising avenues for the prevention of risky health behaviors among children and adolescents, but current literature remains largely equivocal about their efficacy. We propose that (a) much of this ambiguity stems from the lack of conceptual clarity in the literature regarding the cognitive process through which media literacy interventions influence their target audience, and (b) that the ability to track this cognitive process by means of valid and reliable measures is necessary to evaluating the effects of media literacy programs on their audience. Accordingly, the primary objective of this study was to develop and test theoretically-grounded measures of audiences’ degree of engagement with the content of media literacy programs based on the recognition that engagement (and not participation per se) can better explain and predict individual variations in the effects of these programs. We tested the validity and reliability of this measure with two different samples of 10th grade high school students (Study I N = 294; Study II N = 171) who participated in a pilot and actual test of a brief media literacy curriculum. Responses to an inventory of items measuring evaluation of the media literacy program underwent an exploratory factor analysis for Study I. Four message evaluation factors (involvement, perceived novelty, critical thinking, personal reflection) emerged and were confirmed through CFA (Study II), demonstrating acceptable reliability as scales as well as item-level convergent validity and convergent and discriminant validity with other measures. We discuss the implications of including process of effect measures in the design and evaluation of media literacy interventions.

Seen to Be Heard? Gender, Voice, and Body in Television Advertisements

A quantitative content analysis of 1,055 television ads reveals that male voiceovers outnumber female voiceovers 4:1. As has been the case for decades in television, a man is much more likely to serve as the disembodied and objective voice of authority, expertise, and reason. However, a woman's voice is twice as likely to be heard if her body is also represented on screen. Based on that finding, the authors argue that scopocentric sexism influences when and how gendered voices are presented. A woman's relative agency, her recourse to “voice” in both the literal and metaphoric sense, is conditioned by her visual presence. After completing the quantitative content analysis, a qualitative textual analysis was conducted on a subsample of ads in order to explore relationships between voice and body at a finer-grained level. The study provides an important update for critical ad research concerning voiceovers and is the first that systematically compares voice and body data. The authors conclude by presenting ideas for integrating critical sound research into media literacy curricula.

Media Now: A Historical Review of a Media Literacy Curriculum

The Elizabeth Thoman Archive at the Harrington School of Communication and Media, University of Rhode Island, has the last complete kit of one of the milestones in the early chronology of media literacy, the 1972 Media Now curriculum. This curriculum was the first of its kind, using self-contained lesson modules that were part of a larger series of kits, text references, and accompanying workbook. Its self-directed learning model gave students the opportunity to learn about the media, by doing, responding to, and reflecting on core concepts of media production. Using physical artifacts from the Media Now kit, historical documents, promotional materials, phone interviews with the founders and teachers of the curriculum, the authors were able to trace the development of Media Now from its historical and educational roots of the 1960s, to its full production, distribution, and training out of the facility at the Southwest Iowa Learning Resource Center (SILRC). The historical and educational impetus for creation of what started as a Title III innovation grant of the Elementary and Secondary Educational Act of 1965, matured to be a curriculum that was implemented in 600 schools across the U.S - a testament to both its need and its success. However, as times and politics changed, federal and local government cut funding for Media Now. As we reviewed its original approach to curriculum design and pedagogy, we found that the Media Now story calls for a new examination of the creative materials and techniques used in the 1970s, in light of the current need for media literacy education in and outside of the 21st century digital classroom.

Assessing Effects of a Media Literacy-Based Intervention on US Adolescents' Responses to and Interpretations of Sexual Media Messages

This study, a pretest-posttest quasi-experiment conducted in the field (n = 1098), examined a media literacy curriculum to determine its influence on adolescents' responses to and interpretations of sexual media messages. Main effects were confirmed on seven of eight dependent variables tested. Treatment-group participants increased their understanding that media influence teens' decisions regarding sex and media depictions often misrepresent sexual behavior. They also became more likely to believe sexual abstinence is normative among adolescents, lowered their expectancies for engaging in sex and increased their efficacy for delaying sexual activity as compared to control-group participants. Sex-based differences independent of the curriculum existed on participants' attitudes toward delaying sexual activity and expectancies for engaging in sex.

Mean Girls and Tough Boys: Children's Meaning Making and Media Literacy Lessons on Gender and Bullying in the United States

This study examines children's thinking about media content and processes in the context of portrayals of gender and bullying. As part of a critical thinking-centered media literacy curriculum, sixty-five sixth graders in the United States responded to questions about depictions of gender roles and bullying in their favorite media content or in content they would create as media producers. A grounded theory analysis of responses revealed students' various levels of thinking, ranging from direct application of lesson concepts to evaluation and critique of media content. The analysis also suggested the conditions under which students demonstrated more or less advanced meaning-making processes. These findings highlight the dynamic and context-dependent nature of media literacy, as well as the unique and varying levels of thinking children enact as media users. The success of the curriculum in encouraging children's independent thinking supports the value of bridging the empowerment and protectionist perspectives on media literacy education.

The Effectiveness of Different Approaches to Media Literacy in Modifying Adolescents' Responses to Alcohol

Fearing the negative effect that alcohol advertising might have on adolescents' receptiveness to the consumption of alcohol, health educators have used media literacy as an effective strategy to mitigate the effect of these messages in the media. The present study applied parental mediation to the design and evaluations of a media literacy curriculum that targets alcohol decision-making processes illustrated in the message interpretation process model. The authors conducted a pretest–posttest quasi-experiment of 171 adolescents to examine the effect of a negative evaluative approach and a balanced evaluative approach (a combination of negative and positive evaluative strategies) to media literacy on modifying adolescents' responses to alcohol messages. Results showed that different media literacy approaches had varying degrees of effectiveness on adolescent boys and girls. After receiving a negative media literacy lesson, adolescent boys regarded television characters as less realistic and believed that drinking alcohol had negative consequences. In contrast, adolescent girls benefited more from a balanced evaluative approach as their media skepticism attitude was enhanced. Results suggest that health educators should choose tailored pedagogical approaches that are based on gender to improve decision making regarding alcohol consumption.