Media and Information Literacy Repository – South Asia

New technologies raise fears in public discourse. In terms of digital media use and youth, the advice has been to monitor and limit access to minimize the negative impacts. However, this advice would also limit the positive impacts of digital media. One such positive impact is increased engagement in civic and political life. This article uses meta-analysis techniques to summarize the findings from 106 survey based studies (965 coefficients) about youth, digital media use, and engagement in civic and political life. In this body of research, there is little evidence to suggest that digital media use is having dire impacts on youth’s engagement. We find that the positive impacts depend on directly political uses of digital media, such as blogging, reading online news, and online political discussion. These online activities have off-line consequences on participation, such as contacting officials, talking politics, volunteering, and protesting. We also find a very strong relationship between online political activities, such as joining political groups and signing petitions, with off-line political activities, which undermine claims of slacktivism among youth. Finally, while research generally assumes a causal flow from digital media to participation, the evidence for the alternative causal flow is strong and has very different implications on interventions designed to address youth’s levels of engagement in civic and political life.

In this globalized environment, future instructors must be able to understand and correctly evaluate messages from various sources of media. In this context, the research intends to improve prospective teachers' media literacy knowledge, attitudes, and skills, as well as raise their awareness of media literacy. The study's data collected through applications submitted to the European Union (EU) Project at a public university during the academic year 2021-2022. The study is structured around action research methodology. The research group comprises of 160 aspiring teachers from six different departments within the faculty of education. Prospective teachers were given training during the research. The media literacy level determination scale, student activity sheets, researcher observations, and individual interviews were used to collect data for the project. Quantitative data were analyzed by the statistical analysis Anova method. The content analysis method was used to study the qualitative data. There is a difference between pre-service teachers' initial levels and their levels towards the end of their course, according to the findings of the study. Prospective teachers have gained awareness about media literacy. They've learned about the subjects and abilities that make up media literacy's content. It has been determined that by researching the media, students will utilize it more cautiously, begin to criticize it, and become more conscious of the media's individual and social implications.

The paper analyzes the dual role of artificial intelligence in both combating and amplifying digital disinformation, framing the issue within media ethics and self-regulation. It shows how AI can accelerate the spread of false information, reinforce algorithmic biases, and create new ethical dilemmas—especially in emerging democracies with weaker support systems for ethical journalism. The study argues that existing self-regulatory frameworks must be updated to address AI-driven content production and distribution. It recommends integrating AI accountability into media ethics codes, increasing algorithmic transparency, and providing specialized training for journalists.

The study examines how artificial intelligence and media literacy intersect in shaping journalistic practice and digital media production. Based on a quantitative survey of 150 media professionals at the Iraqi Media Network, the findings show that AI adoption improves content accuracy, production efficiency, and audience engagement. However, these benefits are accompanied by ethical concerns, including misinformation, algorithmic bias, and diminished human editorial oversight. The research highlights AI’s dual character as both a tool for innovation and a risk to professional standards.

The study argues that as AI technologies become central to science and technology news, journalists need stronger AI literacy to fulfill their professional responsibilities. Reporting on AI is uniquely challenging due to the opacity of black-box algorithms and the rapid pace of technological change. At the same time, broader institutional disruptions in journalism further complicate efforts to maintain objectivity, accuracy, and transparency. The authors emphasize that journalists play a key role in educating the public, shaping agendas, and curating scientific information.

The study investigates how media professionals perceive the challenges and responsibilities associated with building AI literacy among journalists. Drawing on qualitative insights from two international workshops involving journalists, civil society representatives, and academic experts, the research identifies key barriers to AI literacy development in newsrooms. It evaluates the adequacy of existing learning resources on AI and AI ethics, finding significant gaps in accessibility and quality. The participants emphasize urgent educational needs, including clearer guidance, practical tools, and ethical frameworks.

The article presents a systematic review evaluating the quality of AI literacy measurement scales using the COSMIN assessment framework. It identifies 22 studies that validate 16 different AI literacy instruments designed for diverse groups, including the general public, students, and teachers.

The study proposes a model for teaching computer and video games in classroom settings, aimed at supporting teachers in integrating gaming into curricula. It highlights the link between in-game actions and broader youth gaming culture, emphasizing that learning extends beyond the screen. The authors argue that out-of-school practices—such as collaboration, knowledge-building, design, and identity formation within gaming communities—shape how students understand their everyday worlds. By recognizing these informal learning processes, educators can design curricula that build on students’ existing gaming experiences.

This study intends to understand and explain adaptation education to media in changing process in Turkey which is uttered with “media literacy” concept. The historical development of media literacy, is approached three different periods, determines the main parts of our study. It is possible to introduce the historical transformation of the past to the present media literacy education in Turkey with the evaluation of these concepts which emerged in “Traditional Media Literacy”, “Digital Media Literacy” and “Post-Digital Media Literacy” periods. The changing media process in each of these time segments and the changing media literacy equality is the only unknown to how to approach the media. Media literacy education, researched at different times, answers this question. With the help of descriptive and source scanning research methods used in the study, as well as to setting forth the paradigm of Turkey's media literacy, “changing user” which is unique to the periods mentioned above, draws the profile of the media literate.

The article highlights the crucial role of journalists during crises such as pandemics and disasters, emphasizing their responsibility to provide accurate, fact-based information and counter disinformation. In an era of data abundance and technological advancement, data journalism has become increasingly important for reliable reporting. The paper argues that strengthening data literacy among journalists is essential to uphold journalistic standards. It presents the Data and Computational Journalism Conference and Workshop Indonesia (DCJ-CI) 2022 as an initiative designed to enhance journalists’ data skills through workshops, seminars, and expert engagement.

Media literacy includes the ability to access media messages in various contexts and formats, to be equipped to receive and detect these messages correctly and ultimately to produce new messages. It is a concept that gives the control power over the masses and makes border between the real world and the world created by the media. Media literacy has often been subject to scientific studies in higher education, especially in the fields of communication and education. This study aims to identify the general academic tendencies and approaches in the field of media literacy by examining the postgraduate theses written to the present day with the method of meta-analysis. It has been observed that the number of theses which have been written about this subject has been continuously increasing for about 13 years. In this article it is aimed to determine which research methods have been used in the theses written, what were the research focuses and their ideological orientations. In addition, the article contains current data about media literacy. This study, which analyzes all the theses written about media literacy until 2020, aims to contribute to the relevant literature by means of analyzing the nature of the postgraduate theses.

The article discusses the strong interrelationship between information literacy, statistical literacy, and data literacy, emphasizing that evaluation of information lies at the core of all three. It argues that promoting information or data literacy without integrating statistical literacy is incomplete, as students must understand data interpretation to assess arguments critically. The author calls for greater attention to how these literacies connect conceptually and pedagogically.

The article presents a systematic literature review of 28 studies (2010–2018) examining data literacy in K–12 education, particularly for teachers and school leaders. It finds that while the concept of data literacy has become more clearly articulated over time, there is still disagreement about its precise scope and components. The review shows that teacher education programs tend to emphasize assessment literacy rather than broader data competencies. Based on the findings, the authors recommend skill-focused preparation programs, collaborative learning opportunities, modeling the use of both quantitative and qualitative data, and greater attention to technology and Big Data.

The article discusses the growing importance of data literacy in the age of the Internet and Open Data, positioning it as a fundamental life skill for non-specialists. Despite its increasing relevance, the concept remains loosely defined. The issue explores both conceptual definitions of data literacy and practical initiatives aimed at strengthening and sustaining it. It brings together diverse international perspectives, including contributions from Western countries and the Global South.

The article addresses the growing demand for evidence-based education and the need for teachers to effectively use data in instructional decision-making. It argues that the knowledge and skills required for “data literacy for teaching” are complex and insufficiently defined. Through empirical analysis and domain mapping, the authors develop an emergent conceptual framework outlining the competencies teachers need to interpret and apply data in classroom contexts. This framework forms the first step in an evidence-centered design process aimed at defining and measuring data literacy.

The article argues that as societies become increasingly data-driven, citizens must develop strong data literacy skills, beginning in school education. It notes the absence of a clear and unified definition of data literacy and examines how it overlaps with and differs from statistical literacy. The paper critically evaluates whether existing frameworks adequately address contemporary civic and societal data needs. It also reviews current school-based approaches to teaching data literacy to understand how the concept is applied in practice

The article examines digital media literacy in the context of societies where media significantly shape perceptions of reality. It highlights the growing exposure of children and parents to digital media and stresses the importance of developing digital literacy to address associated cognitive, social, and developmental challenges. The paper reviews theoretical approaches to digital media literacy and introduces the concept of digital parenting, emphasizing the shared responsibility of schools and families.

The chapter argues that digital media literacy is essential in a technology-driven world that shapes how young people learn, socialize, and participate in civic life. As device use increases, children and adolescents need skills to navigate digital environments in healthy and productive ways. Although some research suggests that digital media literacy can reduce harmful effects of technology use, its integration into school curricula and state policy remains limited. The chapter highlights this gap between need and implementation. It concludes by outlining research and policy priorities to strengthen digital media literacy education across the lifespan.

The article conducts a systematic meta-review of research on information literacy, media literacy, and digital literacy. Through a cross-analysis of existing literature reviews, it examines how these concepts are defined and theorized across academic discussions. The study identifies significant conceptual confusion, particularly regarding the core dimensions and boundaries of each literacy. It also highlights recurring challenges in linking theoretical contributions and in operationalizing these literacies for observation and assessment.

The literature highlights the significance of media literacy instruction in pre-service teacher education period, but there are few attempts to develop and implement curricula to this end. This action research study aimed to report the steps to adapt ‘the media literacy skills curriculum design’ for pre-service teachers, which was developed for face-to-face education environments, to an online learning management system in line with emergency remote teaching amid Covid-19 pandemic, and report the results of curriculum evaluation. The study adopted ‘The Curriculum Development through Action Research Model’. The participants were pre-service teachers at an education faculty of a state university in Turkey. The quantitative data were collected through Media Literacy Skills Scale and qualitative data were collected using several forms, rubrics, and reflection tools. The study revealed that the implementation of the media literacy skills curriculum had a strong positive effect on pre-service teachers’ levels of media literacy skills. The study also revealed changes in pre-service teachers’ perceptions of media and media literacy, interactions with media, as well as certain areas for curriculum development in terms of contents, teaching-learning experiences, and assessment components of the curriculum. The study discusses the results and offers implications for media literacy education in preservice teacher education.

In the ongoing struggle with media and technology on the individual-society axis, the importance of having a say in social and political issues as active citizens and being able to express oneself in digital environments is increasing. For this reason, media literacy, which is a life skill, appears as a skill that should be maintained throughout life in both formal and informal environments. The aim of this study is to improve the media literacy awareness of university students. The participants of the research are 150 university students who are studying in different departments of three state universities in three underdeveloped cities in Turkey and have not previously received media literacy education. The data of the research, which was designed as action research, was collected in the 2021-2022 academic year within the scope of an international outsourced project. An eight-week media literacy training was completed by providing face-to-face and online training to the students three days a week. The data results of the training were collected through a semi-structured interview form and also by the evaluation of student activities. According to the results of the research, the media literacy awareness of the students studying at all three faculties, which was weak at the beginning, increased by strengthening after the education. Students have gained an important awareness about criticizing the media and questioning the media, and media production.

In recent years, the media literacy education movement has developed to help individuals of all ages acquire the competencies necessary to fully participate in the modern world of media convergence. Yet media literacy education is not practiced uniformly at all educational levels. This study used a survey to compare the extent to which students are exposed to several basic elements of media literacy education at the high school and university levels. Results suggest that students are exposed to more course content related to media use and creation in high school, but more course content related to media analysis in college.

Teachers must first acquire the necessary media literacy skills, strategies, dispositions, and pedagogy to impactfully integrate media literacy into their instruction. Furthermore, previous studies have suggested designing curricular resources as an effective form of media literacy professional learning. This case study examined how high school teachers of different content areas integrate media literacy into their instruction while participating in an on line professional development course and how high school teachers applied the content from a media literacy online professional development course to design media literacy instruction. Findings indicated that teachers made minor changes to their previous instructional practice, which indicated that participating in the online course led them to think about media literacy integration in new ways. Additionally, teachers applied the online profes sional development content by using media to build background knowledge, offering explicit media literacy strategy instruction and support, promoting independent practice at the intersection of content curricula and media literacy, and assigning media production to demonstrate content knowledge. Recommendations include equipping teachers with media literacy background knowledge, examining instruction stemming from media literacy pro professional development, and empowering teachers to design media literacy instruction through critical lenses.

Journalism also needs to proactively detect and uncover new cases and forms of disinformation. This is mission critical for the news media, and it represents an alternative to regulatory approaches to ‘fake news’. As an immediate response to a burning and damaging issue, it complements and strengthens more medium-term strategies such as media and information literacy which empower audiences to distinguish what is news, disinformation and misinformation. Disinformation is a hot story, and strong coverage of it will strengthen journalism’s service to society

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