FACULTY OF EDUCATION MASARYK UNIVERSITY CZECH REPUBLIC
MEDIA EDUCATION IN THE INSTRUCTION OF CZECH LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE TEACHERS
Dagmar Strejčkova
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Introduction
This presentation is a summary of findings from a research of Media Education as realized by teachers of Czech language and literature at upper primary schools. Media Education is a new topic in the Czech Republic, which has been introduced by the Framework Education Programme for Elementary Education (2007, further referred as FEP EE) and can be implemented in School educational programme in different ways according to the needs and specifics of each school. FEP EE as a state curricular document has been issued by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the Czech Republic. The cross-curricular subject Media Education provides the pupil with elementary knowledge and skills related to media communication and work with the media. Cross-curricular subjects may be used as an integrative part of the educational content of a subject of instruction or in the form of independent subjects of instruction, projects, seminars, courses, etc.
The aim of the study and methodology
This study aims to analyze the most important aspects of realization of this cross-curricular subject by teachers in upper primary schools in the Czech Republic. The partial aims are oriented to finding out the mode of realization and benefits of cross-curricular subject Media Education in the upper primary schools by teachers and survey the use of media in the instruction of Czech language and literature teachers at the realization of Media Education.
The sample consisted of Czech language and literature teachers at upper primary schools (n = 600). The research was carried out in the quantitative method, using a self-made questionnaire. Reliability of the tool has been tested with the use of Cronbach's a coeficient (a = 0.77). In this part the statistics procedure was utilized. Inductive statistical methods such as Student's t-test and ANOVAwere used.
Results
The research brought findings concerning the form of realizations of cross-curricular subject Media Education by teachers of Czech language and literature at upper primary schools in the Czech Republic. It was found out that the prevailing form of implementation of cross-curricular subject Media Education is in education subject of Czech language and literature (416 respondents, 69.33 %). It is less often taught as an independent subjects of instruction or as a projects (chart n.1).
Teachers, who integrate cross-curricular subject Media Education in their instruction, use thematic areas of Media Education to the same degree as those, who realize Media Education as an independent subject or as an project (F = 1,85, p = 0,09). See chart n. 2.
Box plot
integration vs. independent subject vs. project
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Thematic Areas vs. Form of realization
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Form of realization
Chart n.1: Form of realization
Chart n. 2: Thematic areas vs. Form of realization
Prevailing thematic areas used by the teachers were critical reading and perception of media messages (x = 4.15) and interpretation of the relation between media messages and reality {x = 4.01).
Thematic Areas of the Cross-Curricular Subject Media Education
Critical reading and    Interpretation of     The structure of     Perception of the     Functioning and    Creation of a media        Workon a perception of the relation media messages      author of media      influence of the message productionteam
media messages      between media messages media in society
messages and reality
Chart n. 3: Thematic areas of the Media Education
Although we expected predominant integration of thematic areas, which are related to the structure of media messages and their creation in Czech language and literature education, these thematic areas were integrated in lesser extent (chart n. 3).
The research showed that teachers of Czech language and literature implement receptive thematic areas (x = 3.81) to the same degree as productive thematic areas (x = 3.62) of cross-curricular subject Media Education. No statistically significant difference has been found between the implementation of receptive and productive areas (t = 1.01). See chart n. 4.
According to Czech language and literature teachers, Media Education contributes to the area of knowledge, skills and abilities as well as to the area of attitudes and values (t = 1.57). Teachers who teach Media Education for 5 years and more see the most positive effect of cross-curricular subject Media Education. In the area of knowledge, skills and abilities, most respondents answered that the subject contributed to the development of pupil's ability to communicate (x = 4.37) and to use the media's potential, e.g. as a source of information and quality entertainment as well as for leisure-time activities (x = 4.12). In the area of attitudes and values, teachers see the biggest contribution in helping the pupil realise the possibility to freely express his/her personal attitudes and responsibility for theirformulation and presentation (x = 4.13). See chart n.5.
Box plot
Thematic Areas of Receptive Activities vs. Thematic Areas of Productive Activities
Thematic Areas of Receptive Activities
Thematic Areas of Productive Activities
□ Average score
□ Average score±SD
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Box plot
Contribution of the Cross-Curricular Subject Media Education to the Development of the Pupil's
Character
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Chart n. 4: Thematic Areas of Receptive Activities vs. Productive Activities
Chart n. 5: Contribution of the Media Education to the Development of the Pupils Character
Teachers, who teach Media Education for 4 years and more, are most often integrating Media Education into their classes of Czech language and literature. It is interesting that teachers with a teaching experience of 30 years and more are the ones, who integrate Media Education most often to their teaching. Media products, which pupils make during their education, are used especially as educational materials for other pupils, for presentations, analysis, assessment and discussion.
Chart n. 6: The Use of Media in the Instruction of Czech Language and Literature Teachers while Teaching Media Education
It has also been surprising that most respondents gained information about Media Education from the school where they teach (60.03 %), and only 14.38 % of respondents gained information during their study at a university. Teacher use the Internet most often (x = 3.54), newspapers (x = 3.29) and magazines (x = 3.26). See chart n. 6.
Conclusion
Media Education contributes to practical use of media and forms critical reflection. According to the results of this research, teachers largely fulfil the requirements of cross-curricular subject Media Education of the Framework Education Programme for Primary Education. Research shows that teachers deal less with identifying the author's attitudes and opinions in a media message, which is in compliance with PISA2009 results. According to this survey, Czech pupils achieve substantially worse outcomes in the Text Evaluation subscale. It is evident that pupils in the Czech Republic are less accustomed to critically consider and evaluate texts they read. For the future, it is possible to utilize the potential of Media Education in this area and focus our attention to realization of this thematic area in the instruction not only of Czech language and literature teachers on the upper primary school.
References
BUCKINGHAM, D. (2003) Media Education: Literacy, Learning and Contemporary Culture. Cambridge: Polity Press.
POTTER, W. J. (2005) Media Literacy. Thousand Oaks, California: SAGE Publications.
Center for Media Literacy. Accessible from <http://www.medialit.org/>.
NAMLE - National Association for Media Literacy Education. Accessible from <http://namle.net/>.
OECD (2010). PISA 2009 Results: What Students Know and Can Do. Student Performance in Reading, Mathematics ad Science, [online]. Accessible from <http://www.oecd.Org/dataoecd/10/61 /48852548.pdf>. Study on Assessment Criteria for Media Literacy Levels. A comprehensive view of the concept of media literacy and an understanding of how media literacy levels in Europe should be assessed (2009) [online]. Accessible from <http://ec.europa.eu/culture/media/literacy/docs/studies/eavi_study_assess_crit_media_litJevels_euro
The Framework Education Programme for Elementary Education (2007) [online]. Accessible from <http://www.vuppraha.cz/wp-content/uploads/200912/RVPZV_2007-071.pdf>. The Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the Czech Republic. Accessible from < http://www.msmt.cz/>.
Acknowledgements
Contact:
PhDr. Dagmar Strejčkova
Masaryk University
Faculty of Education
Department of Czech Language
Poříčí 7, Brno 603 00
Czech Republic
e-mail: d.strejckova@gmail.com
www.ped.muni.cz
This study and its presentation were supported by the scholarship fund of the Faculty of Education, Masaryk University, Czech Republic.