Funded by the Economic and Social Research Council, January 2009-December 2011

Directors: David Buckingham, Andrew Burn

Researchers: Becky Parry, Mandy Powell
 
Teachers have been seeking to develop media literacy in schools for many years, both by means of specialised Media Studies courses with older students, and through incorporating elements of media education in a range of other curriculum areas. This is the first large-scale systematic research project to explore the practice of media education in schools. The researchers are working with teachers to develop teaching strategies and materials, to implement these and to study the outcomes.
 
The specific aim here is to develop a model of learning progression in media education. This model will seek to specify what children of different ages might be expected to understand about media; and how their learning could develop over time, and in the course of a sequence of learning activities. We are working with teachers of children aged from six to sixteen from contrasting social-economic backgrounds, following parallel groups of students over a three-year period. The research involves detailed classroom observations, interviews with teachers and students, and the evaluation of students’ work.
 
Details of project website to follow.