Critical media literacy as understood by Canadian teacher candidates & an analysis of gamified learning

• In Event: Leadership, Digital Transformation, and Critical Media Literacy: Evaluating Educational Innovations Across Contexts

Proposal

Critical media literacy is a topic that has grown in importance in the fields of communication and media studies, especially due to its role in helping counter misinformation and disinformation (Kellner & Share, 2019; Cruz & Dorsch, 2019). This presentation will, therefore, examine the key findings of a master’s thesis on the experiences of Ontario teacher candidates at York University, in Toronto, Canada, on the topic of critical media literacy, how they approach the subject and intend to teach it to future students, prospectively through the use of remixed student-created board games (Kowlessar, 2023). This thesis is guided by the following primary research question (RQ1): What are pre-service teachers’ current perspectives and understandings of critical media literacy? Several sub-research questions will also be addressed: what have teacher candidates learned about critical media literacy (RQ2)? What skills and tools do they need to effectively teach their future students about critical media literacy (RQ2a)? What professional development opportunities have teacher candidates engaged in related to critical media literacy (RQ2b)? This thesis employs one-on-one, semi-structured interviews as the primary methodology to better understand the unique perspectives of the teacher candidates who partook in this study (Kowlessar, 2023). Data analysis was conducted through two rounds of in-depth qualitative coding, which led to the extraction of three primary observations (Kowlessar, 2023).

Two early theorists of critical media literacy education, Kellner and Share (2019), define it as “a theoretical framework and practical pedagogy in order to enhance individual sovereignty vis-à-vis media culture, empowering people to critically read, write, and create a better world” (p. xi). With respect to how games can be used as learning tools, Waren (2011) states that “A game may help a student to understand some of the previously inexplicable attitudes and behaviors of actors on either side of a power relationship” (pp. 28–29). However, the combination of critical media literacy education and how it may be taught through remixed, student-created board games is an underexplored area of research. In terms of critical media literacy education in Canada, Kellner and Share (2019) explain that although such education is compulsory, “most new teachers are not receiving media literacy training in their pre-service programs” (p. 62). Cruz and Dorsch (2019) substantiate this by expressing the need for pre-service teachers to receive training on critical media literacy education in order to successfully teach it to their future students (p. 143). Therefore, there is great importance in training teacher candidates to engage with the subject of critical media literacy for it to be effectively taught to prospective students in ways that are meaningful to their lived experiences (Butler, 2019; Cruz & Dorsch, 2019; Degand, 2020; Kellner & Share, 2019).

Altogether, the need for in-depth critical media literacy education in Ontario classrooms, beginning with teacher candidates, in particular, allows for exploring contemporary routes of uniquely teaching the subject: through remixed, student-created board games that emphasize themes pertinent to critical media literacy. The contributions from this master’s thesis include a further inquiry into an underexplored area of media literacy pedagogy: teacher candidates’ perspectives on critical media literacy (Kowlessar, 2023). In addition, this work allows for a consideration of non-traditional forms of pedagogy, such as remixed analog games that may serve as enjoyable educational tools to aid in student learning, along with personal and academic development (Kowlessar, 2023). One core finding from this master’s thesis indicates that final-year teacher candidates showed a meaningful understanding of critical media literacy and expressed how significant and transformative they believed it to be (Kowlessar, 2023). Another key finding underscores the importance for Canadian Bachelor of Education programs to place a greater emphasis on critical media literacy education and provide resources for teaching the subject to pre-service teachers’ during their degrees (Kowlessar, 2023). Lastly, the key stakeholder groups whom this research aim to benefit encompass Ontario teacher candidates, Ontario Bachelor of Education programs, researchers in the fields of critical media literacy and game studies, and parents and students interested in how critical media literacy education can be furthered in Canadian educational contexts (Kowlessar, 2023).

Author

• Julianna Kowlessar, York University