The Effect of a Gender Course on the Gender Attitudes, Critical Thinking Dispositions, and Media Literacy Skills of University Students

Year 2021, Volume: 11 Issue: 2 Pt 2, 387 - 400, 31.08.2021

Gülten Koç , Çiğdem Yücel Özçırpan Füsun Terzioğlu Şahika Şimşek Çetinkaya Fatma Uslu-şahan Rabiye Akın Işık Simge Evrenol Öçal Cansu Akdağ Topal Merve Mert Karadaş Sevda Yıldırım Hamurcu Pınar Uzunkaya Öztoprak , Ayşe Sevim Akbay Kısa İlknur Atasever Safiye Özkan Beril Nisa Yaşar Esra Başkaya

https://doi.org/10.2399/yod.20.640377

Cited By: 4

Abstract

This study aims to determine the effect of a university elective course focusing on gender on students' gender attitudes, critical thinking dispositions, and media literacy skills. The research design was quasi-experimental, and the study was conducted with a pretest/posttest control group. The sample of the study consisted of 74 students who took a course on gender during the fall semester of the 2016-2017 academic year and 70 students who had similar characteristics but did not receive the course. In the pretest and posttest evaluation conducted in the first week and the last week of the semester, respectively, the Student Information Form, the Gender Roles Attitude Scale (GRAS), the Critical Thinking Dispositions Scale (CTDS), and the Media Literacy Scale (MLS) were administered to the students in both groups. The Course Satisfaction Assessment Form was administered at the end of the term to the students who enrolled for the gender course. The GRAS scores of the experimental group increased at the end of the course (p<0.05). The GRAS total mean scores of both the groups were similar in the pretest, but there was a statistically significant difference between their total mean scores in the posttest (p<0.05). This study recommends more comprehensive and long-term studies on integrating a gender course into the university curriculum, which will help develop students' critical thinking disposition and media literacy skills and raise awareness of gender equality among students.

Keywords

Critical thinking, gender attitudes, gender role, media literacy, professional education

Toplumsal Cinsiyet Dersinin Üniversite Öğrencilerinin Toplumsal Cinsiyet Tutumları, Eleştirel Düşünme Eğilimleri ve Medya Okuryazarlığı Becerileri Üzerine Etkisi

Abstract

Araştırmada, üniversite öğrencilerine seçmeli olarak verilen Toplumsal Cinsiyet dersinin öğrencilerin toplumsal cinsiyet tutumuna, eleştirel düşünme eğilimine ve medya-okuryazarlığı becerisine etkisini değerlendirmek amaçlanmıştır. Bu çalışma ön test-son test kontrol gruplu yarı deneysel desen kullanılarak yapılmıştır. Araştırmanın örneklemini 2016-2017 öğretim yılı güz döneminde Toplumsal Cinsiyet dersini alan 74 ve dersi alanlarla benzer özellikte olan ve dersi almayan 70 öğrenci oluşturmuştur. Sömesterin ilk haftasında yapılan ön test ve son haftasında yapılan son test değerlendirmelerinde, her iki grupta bulunan öğrencilere Öğrenci Bilgilendirme Formu, Toplumsal Cinsiyet Rolleri Tutum Ölçeği (TCRTÖ), Eleştirel Düşünme Eğilimi Ölçeği (EDEÖ), Medya Okuryazarlığı Ölçeği (MOÖ) uygulanmıştır. Toplumsal Cinsiyet dersini alan öğrencilere dönem sonunda Ders Memnuniyeti Değerlendirme Formu uygulanmıştır. Toplumsal cinsiyet dersi alan öğrencilerin dersin sonunda TCRTÖ puanlarının arttığı (ön test: 98.90±12.18, son test: 104.42±11.28; p<0.05), her iki grubun TCRTÖ ön test toplam puan ortalamalarının benzer olmasına rağmen, son test toplam puan ortalamaları arasında istatistiksel açıdan önemli fark olduğu belirlenmiştir (p<0.05). Bu sonuçlar doğrultusunda; öğrencilerde toplumsal cinsiyet farkındalığı kazandırılmasında, müfredata Toplumsal Cinsiyet dersinin entegre edilmesi ve öğrencilerde eleştirel düşünme eğiliminin ve medya okuryazarlığı becerisinin geliştirilmesi amacıyla daha kapsamlı ve uzun süreli çalışmaların yapılması önerilebilir.

Keywords

Eleştirel düşünme, medya okuryazarlığı, mesleki eğitim, toplumsal cinsiyet rolü, tutum

References

• Aksan, H. A. D., Ergin, I., Hassoy, H., Durusoy, R., & Ciçeklioglu, M. (2011). Müfredata eklenen bir dersin ikinci sınıf tıp öğrencilerinin kadına yönelik şiddetle ilgili bilgi ve tutumlarına etkilerinin değerlendirilmesi. Turkish Journal Public Health, 9(3), 144–156.
• Ankaralıgil, S. Y. (2009). İlköğretim 6. ve 7. sınıf öğrencilerinde medya okuryazarlığı ve eleştirel düşünme üzerine bir araştırma. Unpublished master’s thesis, Istanbul University, Istanbul.
• Arke, E. (2005). Media literacy and critical thinking: Is there a connection? Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
• Arslan, A. (2004). Medyanın birey, toplum ve kültür üzerine etkileri. Journal of Human Sciences, 1(1), 1–12.
• Aybek, B., & Demir, U. R. (2013). Lise öğrencilerinin medya ve televizyon okuryazarlik düzeyleri ile eleştirel düşünme eğilimlerinin incelenmesi. Çukurova Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü Dergisi, 22(2), 287–303.
• Baig, A. B. (2015). Exploring the contribution of teaching and learning processes: constructing students’ gender identity in an early years classroom of a government girls primary school in Pakistan. Journal of International Women’s Studies, 16(3), 1–15.
• Bakioglu, F. (2019). The effect of gender psychology course on the attitudes toward gender role by undergraduate university students in Turkey. Ie: Inquiry in Education, 11(2), 5, 1–12.
• Bullen, M. (2007). Participation and critical thinking in online university distance education. International Journal of E-Learning & Distance Education 13(2), 1–32.
• Bussey, K., & Bandura, A. (1999). Social cognitive theory of gender development and differentiation. Psychological Review, 106(4), 676–713.
• Carter, A. G., Creedy, D. K., & Sidebotham, M. (2018). Measuring critical thinking in pre-registration midwifery students: A multi-method approach. Nurse Education Today, 61, 169–174.
• Chatard, A., & Selimbegovic, L. (2007). The impact of higher education on egalitarian attitudes and values: Contextual and cultural determinants. Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 1(1), 541–556.
• Çelik, A. S., Pasinlioğlu, T., Tan, G., & Koyuncu, H. (2013). Determination of university students’ attitudes about gender equality. Florence Nightingale Journal of Nursing, 21(3), 181–186.
• Egelioğlu Cetişli, N., Top, E. D., & Işık, G. (2017). The gender attitude related roles of university students who continued or not the gender equality course. [Article in Turkish] Florence Nightingale Hemşirelik Dergisi, 25(2), 104–110.
• Erden, F. T. (2009). A course on gender equity in education: Does it affect gender role attitudes of preservice teachers? Teaching and Teacher Education, 25(3), 409–414.
• Ersoz, A. G. (2012). The role of university education in the determination of gender perception: The case of the Gazi University. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 47, 401–408.
• Esen, Y. (2013). A study for developing gender sensitivity in pre-service teacher education. [Article in Turkish] Eğitim ve Bilim, 38(169), 280–295.
• Fényes, H. (2014). Gender role attitudes among higher education students in a borderland central-eastern european region called “partium.” Center for Educational Policy Studies Journal, 4(2):49–70.
• Feuerstein, M. (1999). Media literacy in support of critical thinking. Journal of Educational Media, 24(1), 1–5.
• Gauntlett, D. (2008). Media, gender and identity: An introduction. London: Routledge.
• Geçer, A. (2014). An investigation of pre-service teachers’ information search and commitment strategies in using web-based learning environments by demographic variables. [Article in Turkish] Eğitim Teknolojisi Kuram ve Uygulama, 4(2), 1–20.
• Güvenç, G., & Aktaş, V. (2006). Age, gender, prejudice, interpersonal sensitivity and locus of control as predictors of self esteem, assertiveness and communication skills in adolescence. [Article in Turkish] Türk Psikoloji Dergisi, 21(57), 45–62.
• Güzel, A. (2016). Gender roles attitudes of university students and related factors. [Article in Turkish] Gümüşhane Üniversitesi Sağlık Bilimleri Dergisi, 5(4), 1–11.
• Güzel, E. (2014). Gender discrimination and the role of media. [Article in Turkish] Global Media Journal: Turkish Edition, 4(8), 185–199.
• Hammer, S. J., & Green, W. (2011). Critical thinking in a first year management unit: The relationship between disciplinary learning, academic literacy and learning progression. Higher Education Research & Development, 30(3), 303–315.
• Howard, L. W., Tang, T. L. P., & Jill Austin, M. (2015). Teaching critical thinking skills: Ability, motivation, intervention, and the pygmalion effect. Journal of Business Ethics, 128(1):133–147.
• Jolls, T., & Thoman, E. (2008). Literacy for the 21st century. Retrieved from http://www.medialit.org/sites/default/files/mlk/01_MLKorientation.pdf (March 15, 2019).
• Karadeniz, A., & Can, R. (2015). A research on book reading habits and media literacy of students at the faculty of education. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 174, 4058–4067.
• Kurt, A., & Kürüm, D. (2010). Relationship between media literacy and critical thinking: A conceptual view. [Article in Turkish] Mehmet Akif Ersoy Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü Dergisi, 2, 20–34.
• Kurudayıoğlu, M., & Tüzel, S. (2010). The types of literacy of the 21st Century, changing text comprehension and Turkish teaching. [Article in Turkish] Türklük Bilimi Araştırmaları, 28, 283–298.
• Landry, M., Vyas, A., Malhotra, G., & Nagaraj, N. (2020). Adolescents’ development of gender equity attitudes in India. International Journal of Adolescence and Youth, 25(1), 94–103.
• Lourenço, M. E. (2016). Gender equality in media content and operations: Articulating academic studies and policy – a presentation. Studies in Higher Education, 41(5), 927–931.
• Mastrian, K. G., & McGonigle, D. (1999). Using technology-based assignments to promote critical thinking. Nurse Educator, 24(1), 45–47.
• Mohebzadeh, Z., Emamjomeh, S. M. R., Assareh, A., & Hamidi, F. (2020). A comparative study of media literacy education curriculum in Canada, Iran, and The United States. Iranian Journal of Comparative Education, 3(3), 737–756.
• Ökten, Ş. (2009). Gender and power: The system of gender in Southeastern Anatolia. [Article in Turkish] Uluslararası Sosyal Araştırmalar Dergisi, 2(8), 302–312.
• Pinkleton, B. E., Austin, E. W., Chen, Y.-C., & Cohen, M. (2012). The role of media literacy in shaping adolescents’ understanding of and responses to sexual portrayals in mass media. Journal of Health Communication, 17(4), 460–476.
• Polce-Lynch, M., Myers, B. J., Kliewer, W., & Kilmartin, C. (2001). Adolescent self-esteem and gender: Exploring relations to sexual harassment, body image, media influence, and emotional expression. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 30(2), 225–244.
• Puchner, L., Markowitz, L., & Hedley, M. (2015). Critical media literacy and gender: Teaching middle school children about gender stereotypes and occupations. Journal of Media Literacy Education, 7(2), 23–34.
• Raffaelli, M., & Ontai, L. L. (2004). Gender socialization in Latino/a families: Results from two retrospective studies. Sex Roles, 50(5), 287–299.
• Rodriguez, C. M. (2009). The impact of academic self-concept, expectations and the choice of learning strategy on academic achievement: The case of business students. Higher Education Research & Development, 28(5), 523–539.
• Saewyc, E. (2017). A global perspective on gender roles and identity. Journal of Adolescent Health, 61(4), S1–S2.
• Sarsar, F., & Engin, G. (2015). Investigation of the media literacy level of primary school teacher candidates. [Article in Turkish] Ege Eğitim Dergisi, 16(1), 165–176.
• Scharrer, E., & Ramasubramanian, S. (2015). Intervening in the media’s influence on stereotypes of race and ethnicity: The role of media literacy education. Journal of Social Issues, 71(1), 171–185.
• Seçgin, F., & Kurnaz, Ş. (2015). The effect of gender activities in social studies lesson on the perception and attitude of the primary education students. [Article in Turkish] Uluslararası Türk Eğitim Bilimleri Dergisi, (5), 24–38.
• Seven, N. (2019). The attitudes of university students on social gender roles. [Article in Turkish] PESA Uluslararası Sosyal Araştırmalar Dergisi, 5(2), 134–149. Silverblatt, A., Miller, D. C., Smith, J., & Brown, N. (2014). Media literacy: Keys to interpreting media messages. Westport, CA: Praeger.
• Sperry, C. (2012). Teaching critical thinking through media literacy. Science Scope, 35(9), 56–60.
• Stockard, J. (2006) Gender socialization. In J. Saltzman Chafetz (Ed.), Handbook of the sociology of gender (pp. 215–227). Boston, MA: Springer.
• Şenşekerci, E., & Bilgin, A. (2008). Critical thinking and its teaching. [Article in Turkish] Uludağ Üniversitesi Fen-Edebiyat Fakültesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi, 9(14), 15–43.
• Thoman, E., & Jolls, T. (2004). Media literacy – A national priority for a changing world. American Behavioral Scientist. 48(1), 18–29.
• Tüzel, S. (2012). İlköğretim ikinci kademe Türkçe derslerinde medya okuryazarlığı eğitimi: Bir eylem araştırması. Media literacy education in primary school second grade Turkish lessons: An action reserch. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University, Çanakkale.
• Uzun, Z., Erdem, S., Güç, K., Uzun, A., & Erdem, E. (2017). The effect of education on gender perception and gender role attitudes: An experimental study. [Article in Turkish] Journal of Human Sciences, 14(1), 678–693.
• Ünal, F., Tarhan, S., & Çürükvelioğlu Köksal, E. (2017). The role of gender, grade, department and socialization of gender norms in predicting perception of gender. [Article in Turkish] Bartın Üniversitesi Eğitim Fakültesi Dergisi, 6(1), 227–236.
• Vefikuluçay, D., Zeyneloğlu, S., Eroğlu, K., & Taşkın, L. (2007). Perception of and views on gender roles of senior students enrolled at Kafkas University. [Article in Turkish] Hemşirelik Yüksekokulu Dergisi, 14(2), 26–38.
• Wood, W., & Eagly, A. H. (2012). Biosocial construction of sex differences and similarities in behavior. Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, 46, 55–123.
• Worsnop, C. M. (2004). Media literacy through critical thinking. Retrieved from https://depts.washington.edu/nwmedia/sections/nw_center/curriculum_docs/stud_combine.pdf (March 15, 2019).
• Yilmaz, E. B. (2018). The effectiveness of a gender equality course in changing undergraduate midwifery students’ attitudes towards domestic violence and gender roles. Central European Journal of Nursing and Midwifery, 9(2), 840.
• Zeyneloğlu, S., & Terzioğlu, F. (2014). Development and psychometric properties gender roles attitude scale. Hacettepe Üniversitesi Eğitim Fakültesi Dergisi, 40, 409–420.