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Media Literacy in Education: Research Proposal

One of the major concerns in Canada’s media literacy education is the lack of a unified

strategy in preparing students for a digital economy of the future. Although it is fair to say that

the level of media literacy education in Canada has been exemplary with respect to global trends,

one would be mistaken to believe that nationwide media literacy education is a coherent program

or an approach to education (Hoechsmann and Poyntz 5). For the most part, media education in

the country is largely considered as a curriculum add on for schools, which means that it is not

applied consistently from one jurisdiction to the other (Media Smarts 1). It is also not guided by

sufficient professional development which usually helps in ensuring that the lessons meet the

quality and professional standards of the education system (Hoechsmann and Poyntz 6).

Like most informed educators around the world, Canadian teachers are participating in an

eclectic circus in which they select a rich set of cultural, critical and educational theories,

filtering them to ensure the content is adequate for classroom use. While most Canadian teachers

today recognize the significance of media literacy in regards to employability and economic

development, the persistent lack of progression in media education is surprising (Hoechsmann

and Poyntz 5). It is ironic that as one of the most developed countries in the world, Canada is not

even among the top ten countries in according to the Connectivity Scorecard rating, which

measures connectivity and digital performance in fifty innovation-driven economies (Hadziristic

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9). This decline in rating us partly attributed to the lack of a unified or standard in media literacy

education (Hadziristic 10). According to a study by Industry Canada, the country lacks behind

other advanced nations due to lack of adequate media literacy education which occurs because of

a disintegrated media education system.

In recent years, a growing body of studies has begun to examine the challenges

associated with assessment in various learning programs including media literacy (Livingstone

and Thumim 1). Media literacy education continues to garner much attention, particularly in

regard to the role of digital (media) literacy skills in the growing digital economy. Hoechsmann

and Poyntz (5) note that more than ever, the level of engagement and participation in media

literacy is considerably higher compared to the previous decades. However, despite the growing

participation of both teachers and students in media literacy, the assessment remains a major

issue of concern, particularly in Canada where media education is plagued by a lack of

professional standards and a national strategy that are critical for ensuring that students receive a

fair and equal assessment. According to a study by Schwarz et al. (1), there is little consensus

regarding the most appropriate methods of measuring media literacy, which is reflected in the

different ways in which media literacy is taught and assessed. This argument is also supported by

Hadziristic (5) who argues that although media literacy has gained momentum in the last few

years, there are substantial gaps in Canada’s media literacy education. One of the main

challenges that arise due to the lack of a unified strategy in regards to media literacy in Canada is

the lack of scandalized assessment protocols to ensure that all students under the same level of

testing to measure media literacy skills. Livingstone and Thumim (2) note that different research

methodologies and study samples are some of the main contributors to the growing challenges

experienced when attempting to draw comparisons. As such, although there is a general

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understanding of what constitutes media literacy education and the desired outcomes, there is no

explicit definition or standardized measures to ascertain the level of media literacy skills among

students.

Bergsma and Carney (523) argue that media literacy educators and professionals should

more be precise in terms of the concepts taught and the outcomes of the learning process. In

essence, with the growing significance of media, there is a greater need for clearly defined

standards for concepts and ideas included in lessons as well as the assessment methods used to

measure the level of understanding among students (Schilder, Lockee, and Saxon 32). Yet

despite this common need for the success of media literacy education, relatively very few studies

to date have examined the different approaches to the development of assessment methods for

media literacy. Marten (2) for instance notes that despite the growing focus on media literacy

education among researchers, its evaluation and measuring of its effectiveness remains one of the

greatest challenges that has not been adequately addressed in research. In particular, there is very

little systematic research that has been conducted in regards to assessment in media literacy

education since it is a relatively new area of study in the Canadian education system (Hadziristic

5). Although there is a considerable number of scholarly materials focusing on practices and

challenges experienced in Canada’s media literacy education, there are no studies examining

different assessment approaches that are applicable to media literacy education, especially with

respect to the Canadian context. As such, a better understanding of the challenges associated

with media literacy assessment may provide a good foundation for the development of a unified

national media literacy strategy.

What is needed is a more systematic study that explores the relationship between

assessment of media literacy and the impact on overall national performance. Such a study has
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the potential to highlight key areas that need to be focused on in order to develop a unified

medial literacy teaching framework that is capable of addressing different challenges such as the

lack of integration, cooperation, and the growing diversity in schools. In particular, when the

educators have a clear understanding of what needs to be assessed, they are more likely to

develop teaching materials and assessment tools that address many of the challenges being

experienced in media literacy education.

In this regard, we propose a study that will provide a detailed account of some of the

challenges experienced by educators regarding media literacy assessment. The goal is to explore

assessment challenges in media literacy education as experienced by media literacy scholars and

professionals in various sectors with the intent of helping Canada’s education leaders to develop

a generally applicable strategy for media literacy education. The proposed study will be guided

by the research question; What are the challenges experienced by media literacy educators and

scholars in regards to media literacy assessment?

Problem Statement

In 2010, the ICTC published a report raising the need for media literacy education in

Canada to be standardized so that it can literacy levels can be measured and adequately

addressed (Hadziristic 10). Having a standardized approach enables the government to identify

specific areas that need improvement and adequately respond to such needs in order to meet the

required levels of literacy. Additionally, the Canadian government and the education sector, in

particular, does not have a national media literacy strategy which is critical in providing

guidance and support for primary and K-12 media literacy educators (Media Smarts 2). For

instance, the focus on the development of coding skills as a crucial aspect of the digital economy

of the future has largely obscured the necessity for a broader emphasis on media literacy that
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often involves acquisition, interpretation, and application of information from different media

sources (Hadziristic 6). As such, most jurisdictions and schools implement media literacy

programs that are largely different from each other, with the end result being an incoherent

approach to education. This has, in turn, has resulted in evident gaps in the studies of media

literacy in the country despite the growing significance in modern innovation-based economies

that depend on information.

This trend raises several questions about the effectiveness of the current media literacy

courses being taught since there is no standardized way to measure the performance of students

at a national level. Media literacy in Canada’s education lags behind other innovation-driven

economies because it lacks a single common definition and approach to the teaching of media

literacy (Hadziristic 6). The fact that there is no universally accepted media literacy assessment

method means that there is no way to determine if students have achieved the right qualifications

needed to proceed to the next stage of the learning process which causes ineffectiveness of the

current media literacy programs. This results in numerous problems such as disintegration and

lack of uniformity so that students can be offered courses that are relevant to the job market and

the digital economy. With the growing significance of media literacy in the global digital society,

it is important that educators adopt a unified education and assessment strategy towards

providing students with the right skills needed to fully participate in the global economy. The

aim of the proposed study will be to examine the current trends in media literacy in education

and determine key challenges experienced in media literacy assessment. This will help provide a

suitable starting point for the development of national media literacy education strategy which is

critical for improving the standards to the international level.

Literature Review
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Assessment in Media Literacy

According to Brookhart and Nitko (3), educational assessment is a practice that obtaining

information that can be used for making decisions about different aspects of student education

such as curricula and educational policies. According to a 2014 study by EMEDUS, media

literacy in most countries is integrated into various subjects as add on rather than being

considered as a separate subject (Hartai et al. 10). As with the US and most European countries,

media literacy in Canada is generally treated as an add on to existing subjects in which it is

integrated with other subjects in a cross-curricular way. As such, there is no effective way of

assessing media literacy since there are no national standards or systems in place to ensure

adequate evaluation and response (Hartai et al. 10). While it may be assessed and measured at

the jurisdiction level such as provinces or at the state level, there exist wide variations and

differences in the way media literacy is taught which in turn affect the effectiveness and the

extent to which it is assessed (Hadziristic 15).

Challenges in Media Literacy Assessment

One of the biggest challenges faced by media literacy education in Canada over the years

is the lack of systematic or standardized media literacy assessment approaches. Although there

are a growing recognition and inclusion of media literacy education, the overall lack of a unified

strategy of media literacy education approach means that is a general lack of any clearly assessed

activities aimed at evaluating student learning in regards to skills and competencies in

acquisition, interpterion, and application of knowledge acquired from media sources (Media

Smarts 3). On the other hand, a 2010 report by EAVI (3) shows that another challenge

experienced by educators when it comes to media literacy assessment is the development of

indicators or criteria for medial literacy assessment due to concepts that related to a wide number
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of contexts and influences. The report notes that surveys cannot be used as appropriate tools for

conducting a comprehensive assessment of media literacy, which requires additional measures in

order to ensure the accuracy of assessments (EAVI 51). This is also affirmed by the findings of

Schwarz et al. (1) which found that media literacy is a highly complex and multidimensional

subject that is virtually impossible to use one assessment instrument for evaluating all aspects of

media literacy and different student populations. In response to this concern, the researchers

propose that countries with ongoing media literacy education programs should develop

assessment instruments that are specific to different components of media literacy that meet the

needs of different groups (Schwarz et al., 1).

Methods

In order to successfully accomplish the objective of the study, a mixed method approach

will be used to ensure all the relevant data is collected. In particular, both qualitative and

quantitative approaches will be used in the proposed study in order to help identify the

challenges currently experienced by media literacy education professionals and scholars

experience in regards to the assessment of media literacy students. As such, the study will be

conducted in two phases with the first being gathering of data through qualitative interviews with

a small sample of media literacy education experts in Canada. The data from this initial phase of

the study will then be analyzed using qualitative methods with the overall goal of helping the

researcher to gain a better understanding of the current situation regarding the assessment of

media literacy education in the country. Secondly, the initial study will also provide the

researchers with key information needed to develop a quantitative survey that will in turn help in

validating and extending the original findings of a qualitative study with a larger sample of

media literacy educators and professionals throughout the country. The initial qualitative study
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will consist of a sample of ten participants, followed a more descriptive quantitative study with a

target sample of 200 participants that will help describe the issues and challenges experienced by

media literacy educators in Canada.

Phase 1

As previously stated, the initial phase of the study will involve conducting a qualitative

study on a relatively small sample that largely focuses on in-depth exploration and analysis of

the experiences among media literacy educators and professionals regarding the nature of

assessments. This is particularly important in providing the researcher with a good foundation on

which to build the research project since there is currently very little in terms of scholarly

materials that focus on this area. The sampling strategy will involve a combination of extreme

case sampling in which information-rich cases with considerable volumes of knowledge will be

selected and maximum variation sampling in which media literacy educators and professionals

will be selected from different geographical settings through Canada will be selected in order to

achieve a well-balanced and representative sample. In regards to the instrument, a semi-

structured interview will be developed and used to explore and capture the views and opinions of

professionals and scholars regarding current trends in assessment of media literacy. The

interviews will be conducted online and recorded through the use of online audio and video

conferencing application Skype. Each interview will be expected to last about 45 to 60 minutes

and the participants will be required to recheck the transcripts in order to affirm that they have

provided accurate and truthful information.

Phase 2
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This phase will involve conducting a quantitative data collection in which participants

will be recruited through online sources and asked to complete quantitative surveys. In

particular, a web-based survey will be developed based on the findings of the initial study and it

will be refined using input from four professional reviewers. As with the initial study,

participants will be recruited from all over the country but the sampling will ensure that selected

participants equally represent all parts of the country. Since the education system is required to

fulfill the needs of different communities from Native communities to immigrants, it is critical

for the study to incorporate the ideas and practices of all communities in order to better

understand the challenges experienced by each community as well as geographical location. The

target sample in this study will be 200 participants. only data from fully completed surveys will

be included in the data analysis. The data collection process is expected to take about four weeks.

In order to ensure that this project adheres to ethical guidelines for studies that involve human

participants, ethical approval will first be obtained from the participants before commencing the

data collection process. Additionally, respondents will be assured of confidentially and any

information provided by the study participants will be kept anonymous and used only for

research purposes. The data collected will be recorded and statistical analysis will be used to

analyze the quantitative data using the SPSS statistical software.

Conclusion

Media literacy, particularly in today’s information and data-driven economy has become

one of the most important qualities that are not only essential for personal reasons but also for

career and economic development in general. As one of the most advanced economies in the

world that is driven by innovation, Canada should be among the leading nations in terms of

media (digital) literacy. Yet despite the acknowledgment of the significance of media literacy
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among educators and policymakers, the country’s media literacy education continues to lag

behind many of the other advanced economies due to a lack of a unified strategy. Although this

is an issue that has received considerable attention among scholars and industry experts, there is

a general lack of attention when it comes to media literacy assessment, which is an equally

significant area of concern. While a substantial number of Canadian schools offer some sort of

media literacy education, the fact that most of these efforts are integrated into other subjects

makes it hard for media literacy to be assessed and evaluated accordingly so that the level of

media literacy among young students can be adequately measured and suitable policies

developed. As such, the proposed study aims to provide a better understanding of some of the

practices and challenges currently experienced by media literacy educators professionals that

may help contribute to the development of new strategies for media literacy education in the

country
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Works Cited
Bergsma, Lynda J., and Mary E. Carney. "Effectiveness of health-promoting media literacy

education: a systematic review." Health education research 23.3 (2008): 522-542.

Brookhart, Susan M., and Anthony J. Nitko. "Strategies for constructing assessments of higher

order thinking skills." Assessment of Higher Order Thinking Skills (2011): 327-359.

EAVI. Study on Assessment Criteria for Media Literacy Levels. (2010). Retried from

http://ec.europa.eu/assets/eac/culture/library/studies/literacy-criteria-report_en.pdf

Fedorov, Alexander, Anastasia Levitskaya, and Emma Camarero. "Curricula for media literacy

education according to international experts." European Journal of Contemporary

Education 17.3 (2016): 324-334.

Hadziristic, Tea. The state of digital literacy in Canada: A literature review. Brookfield Institute

for Innovation Entrepreneurship, 2017.

Hartai, Lászó, et al. "Report on Formal Media Education in Europe (WP3)." EMEDUS:

European Media Literacy Education Study. Brussels: European Union: Lifelong

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Hoechsmann, Michael, and Stuart Poyntz. "Learning and teaching media literacy in Canada:

embracing and transcending eclecticism." Taboo: The Journal of Culture and

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Livingstone, Sonia, and Nancy Thumim. "Assessing the media literacy of UK adults: A review

of the academic literature." (2003).

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Marten, Hans. "Evaluating Media Literacy Education: Concepts, Theories and Future

Direction." Journal of Media Literacy Education 2.1 (2010): 1-22.

Media Smarts. Digital Literacy in Canada: From Inclusion to Transformation. (2010).

Schilder, Evelien, Barbara Lockee, and D. Patrick Saxon. "The Challenges of Assessing Media

Literacy Education." Journal of Media Literacy Education 8.1 (2016): 32-48.

Schwarz, Fifi, et al. "Meten van mediawijsheid." (2011).