Item
A Mixed Method Investigation of Student Agency and Civic Media Literacy Through Journalistic Learning
- Author
- Ross C. Anderson, Ed Madison, Tracy Bousselot & Melissa Wantz
- Year
- 2026
- Publisher
- Taylor and Francis
- Abstract
-
This study investigated a journalistic learning approach in a high school English class within a civic media literacies framework toward civic intentionality. Informed by social-cognitive theory, this study focused on learning if and how the student experience developed (a) motivational factors for student writing, including self-efficacy, belonging, writing anxiety, agentic engagement, metacognitive self-regulation, flow in writing, and intrinsic writing motivation, and (b) cognitive factors for writing, including critical thinking and digital media literacy. The sequential mixed method study used correlations, pre- to post-program change analysis, and the triangulation of qualitative thematic analyses of student focus group and teacher interview data. Results supported most of the expected relationships, suggesting the experience likely contributed to a positive shift in motivational and cognitive factors for writing. Qualitative data highlighted the most impactful parts of the journalistic learning experience, such as interviewing real-world experts for their stories, that increased students’ interest and motivation in writing about real-world issues. The mixed method results build an integrated narrative of students’ agentic, cognitive, and metacognitive development in journalistic skills, reinforcing the importance of interest-driven learning opportunities in writing and autonomy-support in skill development, such as in writing, that brings anxiety to many students.
- Keywords
- Media Literacy, Civic Engagement
- Tags
- Online engagement
- PGDMIL Course
- C06 – Media, Information and Empowerment
- PGDMIL Block
- C06-B4: Implementation of MIL Strategies
- Has Part
- C06-U14: Teacher Professional Development in MIL
- Corpus Status
- Accepted – In Corpus
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