A Study on the Perceived Media Literacy Level of Preparatory Year Students in a University Setting

Year 2019, , 416 - 429, 17.10.2019

Duygu İspinar Akcayoglu , Gokce Dislen Daggol

https://doi.org/10.30935/cet.634195

Abstract

Media literacy is defined as the ability to encode and decode the
symbols transmitted via media and to synthesize, analyze and produce mediated
messages. Media literacy raises questions about the impact of media and
technology, which has the potential to increase individuals’ awareness about
the effects of media on daily life. The aim of media literacy is to help
students become competent, critical and literate in media forms because they
need to interpret what they see or hear and prevent the interpretation from
controlling them. Therefore, perceptions of students about their media literacy
is a topic that requires attention at various education levels. The present
study aimed to identify preparatory year program students’ self-perceptions
about media literacy and to explore whether they benefited from mass media in
learning a foreign language, English in this context. Data were collected using
Media Literacy Level Determination Scale developed by Karatas (2008). Open-ended
questions that aimed to reveal students’ perceptions of media literacy were
asked with a view to supporting the data obtained from the scale. Both
data collection tools also aimed to find out the factors associated with media
literacy. The findings of the study are believed to open a perspective for the
stakeholders in language teaching process by providing insight into the
university students’ stance towards media literacy.

Keywords

Media literacy, EFL students, Higher education, Preparatory school

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