Beyond Cynicism: How Media Literacy Can Make Students More Engaged Citizens explores what media literacy courses actually teach students. Do students become more knowledgeable consumers of media messages? Do students, armed with that knowledge, become more engaged citizens? A large multi-year study found that classes in media literacy do seem to make students more knowledgeable about media messages–but also found that the increase in students’ analytical…
Contents
PART ONE – MEDIA LITERACY EDUCATION & THE ACADEMY
A Note on Education, Citizenship, and Democracy
Media Literacy and Citizenship in Higher Education
Layout of the Dissertation
A Note on Terminology
Chapter 1 – The State of Media Literacy in Higher Education
Problems Locating Media Literacy in the Academy
Past Attempts to Measure Media Literacy in U.S. Higher Education
2002 – Silverblatt’s Attempt
2004 – Maryland’s Attempt
A Snapshot of Media Literacy in Higher Education
Programs
Courses
Going Forward: Three Questions
What Passes for a Media Literacy Course?
Where do Media Literacy Courses Belong?
Is the Integrated Approach Okay?
Parameters for Post-Secondary Media Literacy Education
Chapter 2: Foundations for Post-Secondary Media Literacy Education
Separating Media Literacy from Media Studies
Why Everyone Doesn’t Teach Media Literacy
Foundations for Post-Secondary Media Literacy Education
Citizenship in a Media Age
Beyond Inoculation, Towards Empowerment
Towards a Post-Secondary Media Literacy Framework
Chapter 3: Exploring Media Literacy Outcomes in Higher Education
Specifics of the Study
Data Collection and Analysis
The Media Literacy Skills Assessment Test
Focus Groups
The Research Process
PART TWO – A TALE OF TWO HALVES
Chapter 4: Increased Critical Media Skills
Does Media Literacy Work?
Measuring Media Literacy: Comprehension, Evaluation, and Analysis
Four Groups/Five Hypotheses
Demographics of the Sample
Students Reflect Skill Attainment
Implications of the Five Hypotheses
So They Learn More…Now What?
Chapter 5: The Unintended Side-Effects of Media Literacy Education
Do More Skills Equal More Understanding?
Student Perspectives in Two Topics
Topic One: Media’s Role in Democratic Society
Relevance
Credibility
Students as Media Consumers
Topic Two: Seeing the Media – Being Media Literate
Learning about Media
Focus Group Wrap-up: Understanding Media’s Role in Society
Why So Negative?
More Skills, More Negativity: Why a Disconnect?
Separating the Skeptics from the Cynics
PART THREE – BEYOND CYNICISM: BUILDING CONNECTIONS
Chapter 6: A Way Forward for Post-Secondary Media Literacy Education
Connecting Skills and Understanding
A New Framework for Media Literacy in Higher Education
The Definition
The Model
Five Guidelines for Post-Secondary Media Educators
Establishing Connections between Critical Skills and Critical
Understanding
Critical Thinking, not Negative Thinking
Including Good Media
Setting Parameters for the Classroom
Teaching through a Civic Lens
A Framework Developed
Chapter 7: Media Literacy Education for Engaged Citizenship
What are Students Really Learning?
Curricular Reform for Post-Secondary Media Literacy Education
Future Directions for Post-Secondary Media Literacy Education
Future Considerations for Educational Policy & University Administrators
Assessment and Evaluation
Barriers to Entry
A Post-Secondary Media Literate Student Body
Appendices
A. Origins of Media Literacy—UK, Australia, Canada
B. Situating the Media Effects Tradition in the Media Education Landscape
C. Media Literacy Skills Assessment Test
D. Past Experimental Measurements of Media Literacy
E. Pre-Test Survey
F. Open-Ended Questions: Coding Protocol
G. Focus Group Rationale and Question Protocol
H. Sample Consent Forms: Experiment, Focus Groups
References
Author: Mihailidis, Paul
Source: University of Maryland
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