Media and Information Literacy Repository – South Asia

Media and Information Literacy (MIL) is globally recognized as an essential set of skills necessary for navigating the complexities of the 21st century information ecosystem. The core issue addressed by this analysis is the heightened vulnerability of marginalized populations, specifically tribal artisans in India, to targeted misinformation. This research moves beyond viewing MIL as a mere technical skill set, instead framing it as a critical pedagogical approach capable of fostering systemic societal resilience and enabling agency. The research focuses on the intersection of cultural vulnerability and economic exploitation within the artisan community. The analysis confirms that tribal artisans in India face significant information vulnerability due to cultural norms, high exposure to financial and health risks, and low digital literacy, demonstrating that conventional MIL approaches are inadequate. The strong demand for training underscores the need for culturally responsive, context-specific pedagogies that position MIL as essential for economic security and cultural sovereignty.

Researchers, educationalists, educational policymakers, and education technologists have recently focused much of their attention on what it means to be literate in a densely mediated society. Therefore, we have raised the following questions: what has the conception of literacy—once understood merely as the ability to encode and decode a text—developed into today? What aspects are considered most pertinent to literacy as a complex phenomenon in contemporary research? What is the rationale behind combining two concepts—information literacy and media literacy—into the complex notion of Media and Information Literacy (MIL)? The method applied in this research is a state-of-the-art review that addresses current matters in comparison with previous research. In this paper, we have drawn extensively on institutional definitions of media literacy and information literacy, particularly those adopted by UNESCO and the European Commission. The conceptual frameworks of these entities have been considered alongside academic research in the field of literacy. Skillfully filtering information and critically appraising its quality—in any kind of message and across any type of media—is vital. Synthesizing overlapping literacies has proved useful because overarching composite concepts like Media and Information Literacy reflect the complex nature of the mediated world and encompass the skills, knowledge, and attitudes needed to engage with diverse sources of information and evaluate their quality.

This paper presents an overview of UNESCO’s Media and Information Literacy (MIL) Curriculum for Teachers. The overview explores key program areas for trainers to teach issues related to MIL and the competences needed for developing programs. These program areas include a conceptual and organizational framework; production and use of information; media texts and information sources; evaluation and analysis; media audiences; democratic discourse and social participation; approaches for curriculum adaptation; and pedagogical approaches for the classroom (textual analysis, contextual analysis, case study, translation, simulation, and production). After introducing these key areas of the program, the paper concludes by offering recommendations for the successful development, adaptation, and implementation of MIL programs. The main recommendations are: curriculum leaders must be available for training, support, and consultation; promotion of teacher networks implementing MIL initiatives; inclusion in official educational curriculum documents; analyzing student needs before implementing curriculum modules; facilitating online resources for teachers; professionalizing MIL teachers; promoting collaboration between community members (family, teachers, students, and other stakeholders); and conducting research to identify best practices and new trends to be developed.

This curriculum offers 10 lesson plans that cover some of the major themes of Media and Information Literacy (MIL) in the digital era. The lesson plans are written as a teaching guide and combine core knowledge content with ‘MILAB’ activities that enable educators to explore further how to incorporate MIL in the classroom. The curriculum is student‑centred and project‑based, encouraging critical thinking skills through Analyse/Interpret/React (AIR). It uses SavoirDevenir’s ‘7Cs’ competences linked to human rights values such as freedom of expression, dignity, privacy, participation, and education.

The curricular integration of Media and Information Literacy (MIL) is crucial for cultivating informed, critical, and engaged citizens in contemporary society. It assists in addressing the challenges of the digital era and capitalizing on the opportunities presented by the ever-changing media landscape. Thus, the present systematic literature review uses the PRISMA guidelines to examine three dimensions in the process of integration of Media and Information Literacy (MIL) in the prescribed curriculum: formulation, implementation, and evaluation and challenges. Starting with the search criteria, 131 studies were found in the Web of Science, Scopus, ERIC, Dialnet, and Google Scholar databases, published between January 2013 and March 2023, written in English, Spanish, Portuguese, and Turkish. The findings suggest that the will of the political sphere and the activism of the triad composed of passionate teachers, civil society, and academia are key factors for promoting the introduction of MIL in formal education. Likewise, it is underlined that the evaluation of this education policy requires special attention in order to guarantee the analysis of its reach, effectiveness, and capacity to adapt against the challenges that emerge in the media ecosystem. Thus, the intention is to provide up-to-date information for the creation of policies, research studies, and curricular content on this subject.

This paper is intended to investigate the determinants of media information literacy by examining the skills of students belonging to the University of Jammu in July 2022. The focal point of the study is to identify the predictors of MIL by assessing students’ familiarity with various concepts of MIL and their level of MIL skills. MIL is studied through a scale having four parameters, with a 0.741 interclass correlation and a total reliability of 0.81. The majority of respondents demonstrated poor MIL skills, distinct from the self-reported MIL (W = 2386.5, p < 0.001, rB = 0.8). It was found that information literacy, computer literacy, and freedom of expression indirectly affect MIL, mediated by the capacities to create and evaluate information. Nevertheless, MIL is directly affected by information literacy.

The curricular integration of Media and Information Literacy (MIL) is crucial for cultivating informed, critical, and engaged citizens in contemporary society. It assists in addressing the challenges of the digital era and capitalizing on the opportunities presented by the ever-changing media landscape. Thus, the present systematic literature review uses the PRISMA guidelines to examine three dimensions in the process of integration of Media and Information Literacy (MIL) in the prescribed curriculum: formulation, implementation, and evaluation and challenges. Starting with the search criteria, 131 studies were found in the Web of Science, Scopus, ERIC, Dialnet and Google Scholar databases, published between January, 2013, and March, 2023, written in English, Spanish, Portuguese, and Turkish. The findings suggest that the will of the political sphere and the activism of the triad composed by passionate teachers, civil society, and academia, are key factors for promoting the introduction of MIL in formal education. Likewise, it is underlined that the evaluation of this education policy requires special attention, in order to guarantee the analysis of its reach, effectiveness, and capacity to adapt against the challenges that emerge in the media ecosystem. Thus, the intention is to provide up-to-date information for the creation of policies, research studies, and curricular content on this subject.

Introduction: Information literacy has become indispensable in navigating today’s fast-paced media environment, with teachers playing a pivotal role in fostering reflective and critical digital citizenship. Positioned as future gatekeepers, pre-service teachers are the key to teaching media skills and especially information literacy to future generations of pupils. Given the particular challenges facing educators today compared to previous generations, it is important to determine whether the next generation of teachers feel adequately prepared and perceive themselves as competent to pass on these skills to their future pupils. However, previous research has highlighted deficiencies in formal learning opportunities at universities, underscoring the need for further investigation into pre-service teachers’ information acquisition, evaluation practices as well as their perceived relevance to teaching, and person-related factors associated with their perceived competence in teaching information literacy.Method: An online questionnaire was presented to participants, employing a mixed-method approach. We qualitatively examined the sources of information used by pre-service teachers and the evaluation strategies they employ, while quantitatively analyzing relationships between pre-service teachers’ person-related factors and their perceived teaching competence. Participants assessed their perceived teaching competence, perceived learning opportunities, self-efficacy (general and related to information assessment), perceived informedness, selective exposure, need for cognition, need for cognitive closure, and mistrust in media coverage.Results: Data from 371 participants revealed digital media dominance in information acquisition over traditional sources, albeit with a prevalence of surface-level evaluation strategies over reflective approaches. Two distinct dimensions of perceived competence in teaching information literacy emerged: one focusing on information assessment while the other centers on the understanding of news creation processes. Perceived competence in teaching information literacy was significantly associated with self-efficacy in information assessment, perceived informedness, selective exposure to information as well as perceived learning opportunities focusing on information evaluation. Moreover, pre-service teachers employing diverse information evaluation strategies demonstrated a heightened sense of perceived competence in teaching information assessment.Discussion: Our results provide valuable insights into the multifaceted nature of pre-service teachers’ perceived competence in teaching information literacy. Theoretical implications for future research as well as practical implications for teacher education and the structure of future curricula are discussed.

MIL (Media and Information Literacy) is a stand-alone course integrated by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 2011, which directly relates to an individual's daily communication and lifelong learning abilities. Nonetheless, promoting the MIL curriculum in universities worldwide is difficult since specific countries like the United States and the United Kingdom, have their frameworks, standards and models for teaching and evaluating IL or MIL. After analyzing 91 relevant articles, the researchers found that universities still need to accept the MIL curriculum worldwide. In terms of curriculum frameworks, most of the existing studies adopted the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) IL curriculum framework proposed by the American Library Association (ALA). In comparison, the MIL education framework proposed by UNESCO has been not adopted fully. It will take time to synthesize ML and IL into a stand-alone course due to resistance to pedagogical reforms, overloading students, limited classroom, and faculty training gap. The promotion of student-centeredness, educational equity, gender equality, decolonization, anti-racism, rethinking Eurocentrism, white centrism and bridging the digital divide will become a universal value in the MIL curriculum in universities MIL modules will be integrated into the core curriculum of different disciplines in a flexible manner. The involvement of academic library staff in the MIL education process will become more widespread. As educational technology (EdTech) and communication technologies become widely integrated into MIL education, encouraging students' participation in the design and process of the MIL course will be more prevalent.

This paper examines literature from the COVID-19 period (2020–2022) to outline prevalent themes and essential competencies in the post-COVID era. Employing informetrics within a quantitative research approach, the study scrutinizes Scopus database data using the terms COVID-19, e-learning, e-commerce, and media and information literacy. Results reveal a surge in scholarly focus on e-commerce, online learning, e-health, and ICTs, including social media. A total of 355 media and information literacy terms were identified, with digital, information, health, and media literacy at the forefront. Moreover, 244 corresponding competencies and skills were noted. The study emphasizes the necessity for comprehensive media and information literacy programs, diverse competencies, and stakeholder engagement in fostering a digitally literate society. Prioritizing skill development for navigating digital landscapes is vital amid the fourth industrial revolution, laying the groundwork for adept usage of media, information, and digital realms.

Concerns about the spread of disinformation, information disorder, and fake news have grown to unprecedented proportions in recent years. This study aimed to explore how to mitigate this communication disorder and achieve a balance in the relationship among the public, the media, the dominant institutions, and the digital influencers in society. This study used the grounded meta-synthesis method, which relies on induction, to arrive at a new model according to the objective of the study. The process of open, axial, and selective coding included 101 studies, books, reports, and guides, starting with the Public Opinion by Walter Lippmann, issued in 1922, and ending with the 2022 Edelman Trust Barometer. The results led to the proposal of a new model to reduce communication dysfunction, in which media and information literacy (MIL) plays a crucial role in increasing an individual's ability to resist disinformation and enhancing their ability to monitor the performance of institutions, as well as expanding the circle of influencers in social media. To fulfil the three goals and contribute to achieving a degree of functional balance in communication within societies, the model recommends enhancing MIL. Other intervening variables, such as the fragility of political, cultural, and legal structures, should not be disregarded.

Media and information literacy (MIL) is gaining academic attention due to media technology advancements and evolving communication, with pre-service teachers (PTs) playing a crucial role in preparing future citizens. This systematic review examined 40 articles focusing on PTs to identify their theoretical characteristics and methodological patterns. The methodology follows the PRISMA statement and covers research from 2013 to 2024. All of these selected papers are evaluated using a quality assessment tool, Quality Assessment Tool for papers with Diverse Designs (QATSDD). The review identifies a regional concentration of PTs’ MIL research in Europe and Asia. This demonstrates how regional settings and national policies have a significant impact on MIL research, as do differences in terminology usage and conceptual understanding. However, aspects of PTs’ MIL that support teaching practices remain underexplored in the existing literature, indicating a critical gap in preparing PTs for their roles as educators. Concerns regarding the credibility of results are further raised by the extensive use of self-reported assessments. Furthermore, because they have a big impact on PTs' MIL abilities, demographic factors including gender and regional discrepancies need constant monitoring. The findings highlight the need to integrate MIL into teacher education to enhance teaching competencies and address regional and demographic disparities, ensuring preservice teachers are equipped for modern educational demands.

Traditional approaches to the use of computers in education have given insufficient attention to the impact of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) on the classroom. Any implementation of ICT in schools requires a level of change in practice. This article examines three such levels: where existing practice is made more efficient or effective, where it is extended in some new way, and where it is transformed. A model of pedagogy is outlined and then used to examine these three levels and their implications. The analysis suggests that a more sophisticated idea of change is needed if ICT is to have a significant impact on classroom practices.

This paper presents an analysis of ways in which pedagogy with information and communications technologies (ICTs) may need to adapt to accommodate to a major shift in our conceptions of knowledge and learning. A holistic approach to this analysis based on Checkland’s “systems thinking” suggested changes in pedagogy needed for 21st century learning and suggested ways of managing the complexity in order to support teachers in developing their pedagogical practices. The examination of how learning is conceptualised while learners are in contact with vast arrays of knowledge through Internet access and how this understanding can be reconciled with current views of knowledge acquisition in formal education suggests a need for rebalancing in most phases of education between individual work and group participation. Furthermore, opportunities need to be increased for learners to develop expertise in their chosen domains and to make links between their formal and informal learning. Examination of scenarios in which people learn through peer interaction rather than any formal teaching suggests a need to recognise and not underestimate young people’s capabilities. The paper proposes incorporating opportunities for students to engage with self-organizing social systems into pedagogy. This would complement an emphasis on develosping and understanding both individual and shared expertise.

This article reviews research on pedagogies associated with the use of information and communications technology (ICT) in primary and secondary schools. We propose a framework for examining pedagogical practices based on an analysis of the nature of pedagogy as revealed in the literature. In light of this framework, we discuss empirical evidence of the use of different types of ICT in various subjects and phases of education. We identify pedagogical issues associated with ICT use and their implications for teachers’ pedagogical reasoning and practices. The evidence suggests that new affordances provided by ICT-based learning environments require teachers to undertake more complex pedagogical reasoning than before, incorporating knowledge of specific affordances and how these relate to subject-based teaching objectives, alongside the knowledge traditionally needed to plan for students’ learning. In addition, the research shows that teachers’ beliefs about the value of ICT for learning and the nature of successful learning environments are important factors in their pedagogical reasoning.

This chapter provides a theoretical framework of critical media literacy (CML) pedagogy and examples of practical implementation in K-12 and teacher education. It begins with a brief discussion of literature indicating the need for educators to use a critical approach to media. The historical trajectory of CML and key concepts are then reviewed. Following this, the myths of “neutrality” and “normalcy” in education and media are challenged. The chapter takes a critical look at information and communication technologies and popular culture, reviewing how they often reinforce and occasionally challenge dominant ideologies. Next, this critical perspective is used to explore how CML interrogates the ways media tend to position viewers, users, and audiences to read and negotiate meanings about race, class, gender, and the multiple identity markers that privilege dominant groups. The subjective and ubiquitous nature of media is highlighted to underscore the transformative potential of CML to use media tools for promoting critical thinking and social justice in the classroom.

The paper argues that although digital technologies are often seen as tools that connect people, online communication can also create fragmentation, polarization, and exclusion. To address these problems, the author emphasizes the importance of Critical Digital Literacy (CDL), which helps learners understand how power and ideologies operate in online spaces. The paper proposes a two-part teaching strategy, inquiry-based learning and digital activism to help students critically engage with digital media. It suggests that language education and intercultural communication can play an important role in promoting a more equitable and inclusive digital environment.

An integrative literature review was conducted according to Coopers’ guidelines in order to critique and integrate issues over the convergence among imaginative/Waldorf pedagogy, social-emotional learning and media literacy mindfulness in Primary and Secondary education. A comprehensive analysis of theoretical and empirical articles between 2005 and 2019 was provided. Three research questions were set, discussed and analysed highlighting the followinggaps in the literature: (i) the combination of imagination pedagogies with digital media and social-emotional development is neglected, (ii) there is a lack of longitudinal studies to analyse how social-emotional skills contribute to forming critical media literacy according to student’s developmental stage, (iii) there is urgent need for reconceptualizing media literacy by encompassing and analysing its effects on cognitive, social-emotional and motivational skills development. We provide a framework presenting four perspectives, theoretical, developmental, pedagogical and social, supporting the relationship among imaginative pedagogy, media literacyand social-emotional skills.

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.

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.

Effective media education requires that teachers have sufficient media literacy competencies as well as the competencies to promote media literacy in students. This article describes the development of a questionnaire to measure these competencies individually or as a team. The questionnaire was developed in five stages. A systematic and critical listing of existing inventories resulted in a preliminary questionnaire. In the final stage, the questionnaire was submitted to a representative sample of 454 teachers and 219 student teachers, and an exploratory factor analysis was conducted. The results show that the questionnaire is sufficiently valid and reliable.

Finnish basic education faces a significant change with the 2016 commissioning of the renewed core curriculum, which introduces a new transversal competence, termed multiliteracies—a concept closely related to media literacy. This systematic literature review examines the research literature on media literacy and multiliteracies, analysing and comparing the nature of knowledge constructed and the varying definitions of the two concepts. Previous review articles (Marten 2010; Potter 2010) found little consensus among scholars regarding the definition of media literacy. This review examines the research literature published in international peer reviewed academic journals between 2010 and 2014 to investigate whether a mutual understanding of the concept has since been established. The article argues that significant differences exist between the concepts of media literacy and multiliteracies and, further, that Finnish core curriculum defines multiliteracies differently than the research literature defines the term. In line with previous research, this article finds no consensus on the definition of media literacy in the research literature. Based on the multifaceted nature of the concept, this article rejects attempts to establish a universal definition of media literacy and presents a theoretical framework for conceptualising media literacies based on their abstraction levels. The article aims to facilitate understanding of the concept and its operationalisation in research and practice and discusses future opportunities for research on media literacy and multiliteracies.

In the age of digitalization, Digital and Media Literacy (DML) has gained increasing attention in European compul sory education, blending insights and experiences from the media education and digital literacy domains. Teacher education, starting from pre-service education, is central for the actual integration of DML education in classroom practice. This article discusses the case study of a two-credit introductory course to DML education for pre-service pre-primary and primary school teachers in Switzerland. The course, partially co-designed with its participants, intentionally explored many topics (as opposed to the in-depth analysis of a few) and focused on hands-on experi mentation and reflection. The data collected with a pre/post survey and follow-up interviews offer insights on the evolution of pre-service teachers’ approach to DML, on their perceived role as teachers in this domain, on self efficacy, and on potential enablers and obstacles to implementing DML activities in class. The case study suggests that, despite the limited space in the curriculum and resources available, even a short course can make a difference and enable teachers to integrate DML in their profession

Findings from research on the education of teachers show that student teachers lack competence in the utilization of digital media and often fail to see the added value in using digital concepts in classrooms. Teacher training institutions are faced with the central challenge of providing student teachers and teachers with adaptive learning opportunities for their competence in digital areas. In the context of various teaching subjects, this raises questions about specific starting points and the actual needs of students, as well as university course offerings. The present study tackles this topic and explores the commonalities and differences between student teachers from three subject clusters: science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM); language literature arts (LLA); and social sciences (SOCS). The questionnaire-based study examines student teachers’ self- assessments of their abilities in terms of digital media, attitudes, and motivational orientations towards the use of digital media in teaching. Group comparisons show that STEM student teachers rate themselves better in competence facets such as technological knowledge, technological content knowledge, and technological pedagogical knowledge, although their attitudes and motivation towards learning with digital media do not differ. Despite the different interrelation effects of investigated influencing factors on motivation depending on subject clusters, the f indings suggest the promotion of technological competencies and positive attitudes to increase motivation.