Critical Media Literacy and Gender: Teaching Middle School Children About Gender Stereotypes and Occupations

• In Event: Poster Session 3
  In Poster Session: Memes, Popular Culture, and Digital Storytelling Across Multiple and Critical Literacies

Abstract

In this paper, we discuss the results from a field experiment that measured attitudes towards women in STEM professions after exposure to a 4-workshop curriculum on critical media literacy. Our subjects were 5 seventh grade classes, who were exposed to the curriculum, and 5 eighth grades classes, who were not. The goals of the critical media literacy curriculum were twofold: 1) Show students that gender stereotypes exist in the media and 2) Convey that gender stereotypes in the workplace influence boys and girls’ occupational choices. Our hope was that education about how gender stereotypes in the media influence girls’ and boys’ perceptions could shift negative attitudes towards girls’ entry into STEM fields.

Authors

• Linda Markowitz, Southern Illinois University - Edwardsville

• Laurel D. Puchner, Southern Illinois University - Edwardsville

• Mark Hedley, Southern Illinois University - Edwardsville

• Chantal Chandler