Secondary Teachers’ Practices of Critical Media Literacy as a Tool for Advancing Social Justice

• In Event: Critical Media Pedagogies in Teacher Preparation and Practice

Abstract

This critical qualitative case study examined four secondary teachers’ practices of critical media literacy during COVID-19 in California. The research question guiding this study investigated: “How do teachers practice critical media literacy in their classrooms?”. Drawing on the Critical Media Literacy Framework, data collection included: 1) semi-structured interviews with lesson demonstrations, 2) lesson plans, and 3) teachers’ artifacts. Data was analyzed iteratively through in vivo and axial coding; findings were grouped thematically. Findings indicated that teachers scaffolded students’ learning by: 1) deconstructing and reconstructing multiple perspectives, 2) addressing advertising and identity, and 3) engaging current events. This research study advances critical media literacy research and practice by demonstrating examples of critical media literacy as a tool for social justice.

Author

• Andrea L. Gambino, University of Southern California