Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Education

2020

Journal of Media Literacy Education

Media literacy

Articles 1 - 10 of 10

Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

Assessing And Fostering College Students’ Algorithm Awareness Across Online Contexts, Jessica E. Brodsky, Dvora Zomberg, Kasey L. Powers, Patricia J. Brooks Dec 2020

Assessing And Fostering College Students’ Algorithm Awareness Across Online Contexts, Jessica E. Brodsky, Dvora Zomberg, Kasey L. Powers, Patricia J. Brooks

Journal of Media Literacy Education

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 …


Technology Criticism And Data Literacy: The Case For An Augmented Understanding Of Media Literacy, Thomas Knaus Dec 2020

Technology Criticism And Data Literacy: The Case For An Augmented Understanding Of Media Literacy, Thomas Knaus

Journal of Media Literacy Education

Reviewing the history of media literacy education might help us to identify how creating media as an approach can contribute to fostering knowledge, understanding technical issues, and to establishing a critical attitude towards technology and data. In a society where digital devices and services are omnipresent and decisions are increasingly based on data, critical analysis must penetrate beyond the “outer shell” of machines – their interfaces – through the technology itself, and the data, and algorithms, which make these devices and services function. Because technology and data constitute the basis of all communication and collaboration, media literate individuals …


Data Literacy And Education: Introduction And The Challenges For Our Field, Leo Van Audenhove, Wendy Van Den Broeck, Ilse Mariën Dec 2020

Data Literacy And Education: Introduction And The Challenges For Our Field, Leo Van Audenhove, Wendy Van Den Broeck, Ilse Mariën

Journal of Media Literacy Education

Data literacy is a hot topic, which is currently discussed in many different fields from open data initiatives, statistics, computer societies, coding initiatives, and beyond. The resulting literature is inspiring but not always satisfying from the perspective of the media literacy scholarly field. The goals behind data literacy are often instrumental and utilitarian in the function of job-related skills or open data initiatives. We hope that this special issue will contribute to a broader discussion about data literacy. In this introductory essay we provide an overarching introduction, highlighting some of the main themes, questions, issues, and insights addressed in …


Can Middle Schoolers Learn To Read The Web Like Experts? Possibilities And Limits Of A Strategy-Based Intervention, Angela M. Kohnen, Gillian E. Mertens, Shelby M. Boehm Jul 2020

Can Middle Schoolers Learn To Read The Web Like Experts? Possibilities And Limits Of A Strategy-Based Intervention, Angela M. Kohnen, Gillian E. Mertens, Shelby M. Boehm

Journal of Media Literacy Education

This paper describes the strategies 8th graders used to evaluate the credibility of unfamiliar websites after a curricular intervention. Website topics were somewhat contested, and students could navigate the open web in order to assess the credibility of the sites. Findings reveal that students were more likely to leave the presented webpages and investigate the sources before making a credibility judgment after the curricular intervention. Furthermore, after the intervention students were more likely to prefer a more credible source of information over a less credible source when the two sources were presented. However, few students improved in their ability …


Early Adolescents' Perceptions And Attitudes Towards Gender Representations In Video Games, Helen Liu Jul 2020

Early Adolescents' Perceptions And Attitudes Towards Gender Representations In Video Games, Helen Liu

Journal of Media Literacy Education

This study investigated adolescents’ perception and attitudes towards gender representation in video game covers, and the degree to which these depictions may influence their notions on gender and identification. Seventeen participants ranging from ages 12 and 13 participated in semi-structured interviews to explore this topic. This study’s conceptual framework encompassed social cognitive theory, gender schema theory, and cultivation theory. Findings suggest that gender representation in video games does influence the majority of participants’ notions of gender. However, there are differences between how males and females’ approach, interpret, and respond to this type of media. Findings also showcased that evidence of …


Intergenerational Food-Focused Media Literacy In Jamaica, Michelle R. Nelson, Rachel Powell, Cagla Giray, Gail M. Ferguson Jul 2020

Intergenerational Food-Focused Media Literacy In Jamaica, Michelle R. Nelson, Rachel Powell, Cagla Giray, Gail M. Ferguson

Journal of Media Literacy Education

Media use has been linked to unhealthy eating, but there is evidence that parent discussion about media and media literacy can inoculate against negative media effects. Therefore, we examined the relationships between mothers’ food-focused media literacy and their discussions about media and their adolescents’ food-focused media literacy in a survey of 82 mother-adolescent dyads in Jamaica, a middle-income country where obesity is rising. As expected, mothers’ food-focused media literacy was both greater than and positively related to their adolescents’ food-focused media literacy. The nature of the discussion (i.e., emotional intensity) about the time adolescents spent using media (TV, computer/electronics) positively …


Is That Media Literacy?: Israeli And Us Media Scholars’ Perceptions Of The Field, Ornat Turin, Yonty Friesem Apr 2020

Is That Media Literacy?: Israeli And Us Media Scholars’ Perceptions Of The Field, Ornat Turin, Yonty Friesem

Journal of Media Literacy Education

Sixty-nine media scholars from Israel and the Unites States responded to an online questionnaire aimed to identify the boundaries of media literacy. The participants received a list of thirty-two potential titles for a final paper and were asked to rate the relevancy of each topic for an undergraduate media literacy course. While the statistical analysis showed no significant difference in the ranking, deviations and distributions demonstrate disagreements as to what is important or marginal in the field. Protectionist topics were ranked high as well as topics involving children, digital media, and popular culture. It also appears that media education has …


Developing A Responsive And Adaptable Emergent Media Curriculum, Dennis Owen Frohlich, David Magolis Apr 2020

Developing A Responsive And Adaptable Emergent Media Curriculum, Dennis Owen Frohlich, David Magolis

Journal of Media Literacy Education

The field of mass communication is constantly undergoing change and development, and the pace has accelerated with the advent of digital technologies. One challenge educators face is: how do we educate college students not just for today’s careers, but also for lifelong competencies with media? Against this backdrop, the Department of Media and Journalism at Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania sought a new curriculum to capitalize on “emergent media,” that is, media that does not fit neatly into established mass communication disciplines such as journalism, telecommunications, public relations, and advertising. Our curriculum is centered around media literacy, skills development, and experiential …


Mobile Phones In The Classroom: Policies And Potential Pedagogy, Pamela L. Morris, Susan H. Sarapin Apr 2020

Mobile Phones In The Classroom: Policies And Potential Pedagogy, Pamela L. Morris, Susan H. Sarapin

Journal of Media Literacy Education

Many university instructors (76% of our survey) have a mobile phone policy in their classrooms, due to the distractions of unregulated use. Yet only about half of those who ask students to put down their phones report that these policies are effective. Given that students want to and will use their phones, are instructors taking the opportunity to integrate these mobile devices as a part of media literacy or other pedagogy? We conducted a nationwide survey of more than 150 college instructors to explicate what policies are used, and where they come from; how they are enforced (e.g. rewards and …


Misunderstanding Child-Centeredness: The Case Of “Child 2.0” And Media Education, Pekka Mertala Apr 2020

Misunderstanding Child-Centeredness: The Case Of “Child 2.0” And Media Education, Pekka Mertala

Journal of Media Literacy Education

This qualitative study demonstrates the kinds of pedagogical pitfalls that are included in simplistic understandings of child-centeredness in the context of media education, an emerging field of early childhood teacher education with only a little empirical research done so far. Course diaries from 15 preservice teachers were analyzed to find answers to the question: How do preservice teachers approach child-centered education in the context of media education? The main findings can be summarized as follows. First, preservice teachers approached child-centeredness as an all-encompassing principle that guides early childhood education. Second, media education-related issues - beliefs about children and media, ambiguity …