Assessing citizens’ responses to media and information literacy competencies through an online course: an empirical study and critical comparative analysis of experts’ views

Abstract

Societal opportunities and challenges, whether they are personal, socio-political or cultural, are information-dependent in one way or another. Minimising the challenges and maximising the opportunities depend on the quality of information accessed and received; how people are enabled to think critically and independently about this information; what people choose to believe and why; and the process by which people choose to believe or reject and act upon certain information for problem solving. The purpose of this research is to explore how to improve the diffusion of media and information literacy (MIL) competencies for all citizens and to inform purpose-driven development of national MIL policies and strategies. Through a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods, the research investigated youth responses to personal, social, economic, political and cultural challenges and opportunities online and offline before and after having acquired MIL related competencies. The research also examined how MIL experts/practitioners perceive MIL competencies and relevant policy framework factors for MIL applications in different societal contexts. The youth component of this dissertation employed a quasi-experimental research methodology adopted from other researchers. It involved a sample of 1735 youths between the ages 14 and 30 years who reflected on their knowledge of MIL and their attitude towards social and democratic issues such as freedom of expression, freedom of information, intercultural dialogue and interreligious dialogue. They then engaged in a three-month intervention (a Media and Information Literacy Massively Open Online Course) with the social and democratic issues embedded. The youth reflected on their attitudes once more through survey, journaling and online discussion forum. The MIL experts’/practitioners’ component of the research used survey techniques to engage a sample of 502 experts/practitioners. They reflected on the levels and types of involvement in MIL; rated and ranked broad MIL competencies as well as related policy context factors based on their expert/personal perspectives, as well as their more experiential and ‘objective’ perspectives of the actualities of MIL implemented in the countries they work. The findings indicate that the youths have genuine interest in social and democratic discourse issues and have acquired prior knowledge of MIL through either erstwhile studies or experience. They demonstrate diverse attitudes towards freedom of expression and freedom of information in various societal contexts and show some uncertainty about what are the best responses to these issues in some situations. The youths have a generally positive attitude to intercultural dialogue and interreligious dialogue and think that governments and the media can do more to promote peace by facilitating more open discourses on religious and intercultural tolerance. The youths surveyed reported varying degrees of change in their attitudes and actions concerning the social and democratic issues investigated. MIL experts/practitioners have convergent views on MIL competencies but also with some divergence. Less divergence exists in their assessment of MIL policy context factors at country levels. Greater involvement of MIL experts/practitioners in community level activities and advocacy has the potential to improve a broader framework of MIL.