Media literacy and critical thinking in initial teacher education

Abstract

Introduction: In democratic societies, it is essential to integrate media literacy and critical thinking into higher education to develop analytical skills and address misinformation. Methodology: The research, with a quantitative approach and non-experimental design, involved 138 second-year education students from a public university in Peru. A questionnaire was used to assess their media literacy and critical thinking skills, and the correlation between these variables was analyzed. Results: The findings revealed a moderate positive correlation (r = 0.702) between media literacy and critical thinking, validating the general hypothesis. Discussions: Integrating media literacy into university curricula is crucial as it significantly enhances students' critical thinking and analytical skills, preparing them to tackle contemporary media challenges. Conclusions: It is essential to integrate media literacy into education to strengthen critical thinking, a key finding for educators and policymakers interested in improving students' analytical skills.