Media Literacy Education in the Social Studies:

Abstract

Media literacy education is relevant to the social studies for a number of reasons. Media provide compelling fiction and nonfiction narratives about people, places and events. Indeed, many young people's knowledge of world events and cultures comes from media representations. Media also helps shape attitudes and opinions about history, government and politics. As citizens, students rely on media for information about elections, public policy and political processes. Consequently, media literacy education in the social studies can promote student understanding and appreciation of the role media play in shaping and disseminating particular views of the world. This article focuses on social studies teachers' familiarity with media literacy education in the classroom, their understandings of its role and place in the curriculum, and the implications of these views for curriculum development and training. The study presumes that the usefulness of media literacy education resources, as well as their adoption, depend in large measure on whether these materials speak to the overarching goals teachers bring to media literacy education and their understanding of its place in their classrooms. This article reports on the results of a survey of a small group of social studies teachers seeking to integrate media literacy education into their classrooms. This exploratory research aims to help educators, administrators, consultants and theorists begin to understand the particular curriculum development and teacher training needs of social studies teachers engaged in media literacy education. The article concludes by discussing several factors that may place an additional drag on the ability to develop training and curricular resources, and by briefly reviewing some positive developments in the provision of primary and secondary teaching resources. (Contains 7 tables and 3 notes.)