Development of a Media Literacy Skills Scale

Year 2017, Volume: 8 Issue: 3, 249 - 267, 14.07.2017

Bahadir Eristi Cahit Erdem

Abstract

This study aims to develop a reliable and valid scale to identify the levels of media users’
media literacy skills. The scale development process was carried out in nine steps as
recommended in the literature. Before the scale was administered, the items were
reviewed by field experts and language experts and a pilot study was carried out. Responses
from 322 pre-service teachers, selected via purposeful sampling, were included in the
analysis. Item discrimination was tested via item-total correlation and it indicated that none
of the items were below .30. In the confirmatory factor analysis, it was found out that the
scale and the theoretical model showed a fit between good and acceptable. Convergent
validity, divergent validity and 27% upper-lower group means were also examined. As for
the internal consistency, Cronbach’s alpha value of the scale was calculated as .919 and
alpha values of the factors were calculated as .768, .833, .720 and .838 respectively. The
results revealed that Media Literacy Skills Scale, which consists of 45 items gathered under
the four main factors of ‘access, analyze, evaluate and communicate’, is a reliable and valid
measurement instrument. This up-to-date scale covers all main skills of media literacy and
it consists of a sufficient number of questions to obtain rich data and ensure measurement
precision. In addition, it covers new media as well as mass media and this

Keywords

Media literacy, Scale development, Media literacy skills, New media, Confirmatory factor analysis

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