Media and Information Literacy Repository – South Asia

This study investigates how Omani youth perceive the safety and transparency of social media platforms as tools for civic engagement. Using a mixed-methods approach, data were collected from a nationwide survey of 346 respondents aged 18–29 and three virtual focus group discussions containing 15 participants. Survey respondents were selected through random sampling to ensure representation across gender, region, and socio-economic background. Focus group participants were also randomly drawn from the survey pool and stratified by age to capture generational differences in perception and behavior. Findings indicate that while social media platforms are recognized as accessible and interactive spaces that facilitate awareness and civic expression, significant concerns persist regarding data privacy, misinterpretation, and online harassment. Informative content and user-generated media were found to foster accountability, while entertainment-driven posts and emotionally charged activism often led to polarization or disengagement. The paper calls for enhanced digital literacy, context-sensitive platform moderation policies, and institutional support for transparent digital civic spaces.

Social media use has redefined the production, experience and consumption of news media. These changes have made verifying and trusting news content more complicated and this has led to a number of recent flashpoints for claims and counter-claims of ‘fake news’ at critical moments during elections, natural disasters and acts of terrorism. Concerns regarding the actual and potential social impact of fake news led us to carry out the first nationally representative survey of young Australians’ news practices and experiences. Our analysis finds that while social media is one of young people’s preferred sources of news, they are not confident about spotting fake news online and many rarely or never check the source of news stories. Our findings raise important questions regarding about the need for news media literacy education – both in schools and in the home. Therefore, we consider the historical development of news media literacy education and critique the relevance of dominant frameworks and pedagogies currently in use. We find that news media has become neglected in media literacy education in Australia over the past three decades and we propose that current media literacy frameworks and pedagogies in use need to be rethought for the digital age.

The aim of this study was to advance understanding of how to foster media literacy among older people. A systematic review was conducted of 40 empirical studies published between January 2005 and April 2019. The literature review provided information and practical implications for researchers, designers, and providers of media-literacy education for older people. Based on the review, it can be concluded that interventions aimed at fostering media literacy in older people need further development and creative enrichment in terms of aims, content, providers, recipients, and pedagogical approaches.

This article presents a systematic meta-review of the scientific literature discussing the concepts of information literacy, media literacy, and digital literacy. While carrying out a cross analysis of the way in which literature reviews specifically address these three concepts, this article identifies, and articulates a critical analysis of, the main findings from the reviewed texts regarding the conceptual landscape that they cover. This work highlights confusion between the constitutive dimensions of literacies, recurrent difficulties in establishing theoretical articulations between contributions, and operationalization problems in observing and assessing these literacies. These issues are the subject of a discussion grounded in the specific field of media education.

The study examines the factors influencing K–12 teachers’ intentions to learn artificial intelligence, addressing the gap in educators’ understanding and effective use of AI in education. Based on survey data from 318 teachers across multiple regions in China and analyzed through structural equation modeling, the findings identify key determinants of AI learning intentions. Teachers’ perceptions of AI’s potential for social good and their self-efficacy in learning AI directly predict their intention to engage with AI learning. Awareness of AI ethics and overall AI literacy function as indirect influences.

The article presents an interdisciplinary framework for designing introductory AI literacy courses that move beyond the technical focus of traditional computer science curricula. Drawing on teaching experiences across general education, computer science majors, and high school settings, the authors refine a socio-technical AI literacy model adaptable to diverse learners. The proposed course design is structured around four pillars: understanding AI’s technical scope, interacting effectively with generative AI tools, applying ethical and responsible AI principles, and analyzing AI’s societal implications.

The article proposes a comprehensive framework for data and AI literacy designed to support their systematic integration into school curricula, teacher education, higher education, and lifelong learning programs. It seeks to establish a shared conceptual foundation that treats data and AI literacy as transdisciplinary competencies across three perspectives: application-oriented, technical-methodological, and socio-cultural. The framework aims to equip citizens with the skills needed to engage with data and AI consciously and ethically in a data-driven society.

This article introduces a competency-based model for generative artificial intelligence (AI) literacy covering essential skills and knowledge areas necessary to interact with generative AI. The competencies range from foundational AI literacy to prompt engineering and programming skills, including ethical and legal considerations. These 12 competencies offer a framework for individuals, policymakers, government officials, and educators looking to navigate and take advantage of the potential of generative AI responsibly. Embedding these competencies into educational programs and professional training initiatives can equip individuals to become responsible and informed users and creators of generative AI.

The manual is based on the principle of integrating the education and practice of journalism. The first part of the book is focused on explaining the basics of media and information literacy. The use of the term “media” throughout this document refers to two dimensions. Firstly, there is the news media as an institution, the “fourth estate”, having specific professional functions that its constituents pledge to fulfil in democratic societies and which are necessary for good governance and development. This includes radio, television and newspapers, whether online or offline, as well as journalistic content on the Internet. Secondly, there is media as the plural of the term “medium”, and which here refers to multiple communication modes such as broadcast and cable television, radio, newspapers, motion pictures, video games, books, magazines, certain uses of the Internet etc. MIL encompasses engagement with all these modes. For its part, UNESCO is particularly concerned with information and news, but recognise that there is other content such as entertainment, interpersonal communications, and advertising.The use of the term “Information providers” throughout this document refers to the information management, information agencies, memory, cultural and Internet information organisations. It includes libraries, archives, museums, documentation centres, information management institutions, not-for-profit and for-profit infor-mation providers, networks, and companies which provide a range of services and content online and others.

An integrative literature review was conducted according to Coopers’ guidelines in order to critique and integrate issues over the convergence among imaginative/Waldorf pedagogy, social-emotional learning and media literacy mindfulness in Primary and Secondary education. A comprehensive analysis of theoretical and empirical articles between 2005 and 2019 was provided. Three research questions were set, discussed and analysed highlighting the followinggaps in the literature: (i) the combination of imagination pedagogies with digital media and social-emotional development is neglected, (ii) there is a lack of longitudinal studies to analyse how social-emotional skills contribute to forming critical media literacy according to student’s developmental stage, (iii) there is urgent need for reconceptualizing media literacy by encompassing and analysing its effects on cognitive, social-emotional and motivational skills development. We provide a framework presenting four perspectives, theoretical, developmental, pedagogical and social, supporting the relationship among imaginative pedagogy, media literacyand social-emotional skills.

Youth turnout at European Parliamentary elections has been dwindling. This study investigates the impact of news media exposure on electoral participation of first time voters. Relying on a data set that combines content analysis of news stories about the EU (N = 769) and a multiple wave panel survey (N = 994), we analyze the impact of exposure to online and offline coverage of relevant topics on turn out across a period of 6 months. We find that exposure to news in offline media had no significant effect on participation, whereas exposure to relevant news in online media positively affected turnout.

New technologies raise fears in public discourse. In terms of digital media use and youth, the advice has been to monitor and limit access to minimize the negative impacts. However, this advice would also limit the positive impacts of digital media. One such positive impact is increased engagement in civic and political life. This article uses meta-analysis techniques to summarize the findings from 106 survey based studies (965 coefficients) about youth, digital media use, and engagement in civic and political life. In this body of research, there is little evidence to suggest that digital media use is having dire impacts on youth’s engagement. We find that the positive impacts depend on directly political uses of digital media, such as blogging, reading online news, and online political discussion. These online activities have off-line consequences on participation, such as contacting officials, talking politics, volunteering, and protesting. We also find a very strong relationship between online political activities, such as joining political groups and signing petitions, with off-line political activities, which undermine claims of slacktivism among youth. Finally, while research generally assumes a causal flow from digital media to participation, the evidence for the alternative causal flow is strong and has very different implications on interventions designed to address youth’s levels of engagement in civic and political life.

In this globalized environment, future instructors must be able to understand and correctly evaluate messages from various sources of media. In this context, the research intends to improve prospective teachers' media literacy knowledge, attitudes, and skills, as well as raise their awareness of media literacy. The study's data collected through applications submitted to the European Union (EU) Project at a public university during the academic year 2021-2022. The study is structured around action research methodology. The research group comprises of 160 aspiring teachers from six different departments within the faculty of education. Prospective teachers were given training during the research. The media literacy level determination scale, student activity sheets, researcher observations, and individual interviews were used to collect data for the project. Quantitative data were analyzed by the statistical analysis Anova method. The content analysis method was used to study the qualitative data. There is a difference between pre-service teachers' initial levels and their levels towards the end of their course, according to the findings of the study. Prospective teachers have gained awareness about media literacy. They've learned about the subjects and abilities that make up media literacy's content. It has been determined that by researching the media, students will utilize it more cautiously, begin to criticize it, and become more conscious of the media's individual and social implications.

The paper analyzes the dual role of artificial intelligence in both combating and amplifying digital disinformation, framing the issue within media ethics and self-regulation. It shows how AI can accelerate the spread of false information, reinforce algorithmic biases, and create new ethical dilemmas—especially in emerging democracies with weaker support systems for ethical journalism. The study argues that existing self-regulatory frameworks must be updated to address AI-driven content production and distribution. It recommends integrating AI accountability into media ethics codes, increasing algorithmic transparency, and providing specialized training for journalists.

The study examines how artificial intelligence and media literacy intersect in shaping journalistic practice and digital media production. Based on a quantitative survey of 150 media professionals at the Iraqi Media Network, the findings show that AI adoption improves content accuracy, production efficiency, and audience engagement. However, these benefits are accompanied by ethical concerns, including misinformation, algorithmic bias, and diminished human editorial oversight. The research highlights AI’s dual character as both a tool for innovation and a risk to professional standards.

The study argues that as AI technologies become central to science and technology news, journalists need stronger AI literacy to fulfill their professional responsibilities. Reporting on AI is uniquely challenging due to the opacity of black-box algorithms and the rapid pace of technological change. At the same time, broader institutional disruptions in journalism further complicate efforts to maintain objectivity, accuracy, and transparency. The authors emphasize that journalists play a key role in educating the public, shaping agendas, and curating scientific information.

The study investigates how media professionals perceive the challenges and responsibilities associated with building AI literacy among journalists. Drawing on qualitative insights from two international workshops involving journalists, civil society representatives, and academic experts, the research identifies key barriers to AI literacy development in newsrooms. It evaluates the adequacy of existing learning resources on AI and AI ethics, finding significant gaps in accessibility and quality. The participants emphasize urgent educational needs, including clearer guidance, practical tools, and ethical frameworks.

The article presents a systematic review evaluating the quality of AI literacy measurement scales using the COSMIN assessment framework. It identifies 22 studies that validate 16 different AI literacy instruments designed for diverse groups, including the general public, students, and teachers.

The study proposes a model for teaching computer and video games in classroom settings, aimed at supporting teachers in integrating gaming into curricula. It highlights the link between in-game actions and broader youth gaming culture, emphasizing that learning extends beyond the screen. The authors argue that out-of-school practices—such as collaboration, knowledge-building, design, and identity formation within gaming communities—shape how students understand their everyday worlds. By recognizing these informal learning processes, educators can design curricula that build on students’ existing gaming experiences.

This study intends to understand and explain adaptation education to media in changing process in Turkey which is uttered with “media literacy” concept. The historical development of media literacy, is approached three different periods, determines the main parts of our study. It is possible to introduce the historical transformation of the past to the present media literacy education in Turkey with the evaluation of these concepts which emerged in “Traditional Media Literacy”, “Digital Media Literacy” and “Post-Digital Media Literacy” periods. The changing media process in each of these time segments and the changing media literacy equality is the only unknown to how to approach the media. Media literacy education, researched at different times, answers this question. With the help of descriptive and source scanning research methods used in the study, as well as to setting forth the paradigm of Turkey's media literacy, “changing user” which is unique to the periods mentioned above, draws the profile of the media literate.

The article highlights the crucial role of journalists during crises such as pandemics and disasters, emphasizing their responsibility to provide accurate, fact-based information and counter disinformation. In an era of data abundance and technological advancement, data journalism has become increasingly important for reliable reporting. The paper argues that strengthening data literacy among journalists is essential to uphold journalistic standards. It presents the Data and Computational Journalism Conference and Workshop Indonesia (DCJ-CI) 2022 as an initiative designed to enhance journalists’ data skills through workshops, seminars, and expert engagement.

Media literacy includes the ability to access media messages in various contexts and formats, to be equipped to receive and detect these messages correctly and ultimately to produce new messages. It is a concept that gives the control power over the masses and makes border between the real world and the world created by the media. Media literacy has often been subject to scientific studies in higher education, especially in the fields of communication and education. This study aims to identify the general academic tendencies and approaches in the field of media literacy by examining the postgraduate theses written to the present day with the method of meta-analysis. It has been observed that the number of theses which have been written about this subject has been continuously increasing for about 13 years. In this article it is aimed to determine which research methods have been used in the theses written, what were the research focuses and their ideological orientations. In addition, the article contains current data about media literacy. This study, which analyzes all the theses written about media literacy until 2020, aims to contribute to the relevant literature by means of analyzing the nature of the postgraduate theses.

The article discusses the strong interrelationship between information literacy, statistical literacy, and data literacy, emphasizing that evaluation of information lies at the core of all three. It argues that promoting information or data literacy without integrating statistical literacy is incomplete, as students must understand data interpretation to assess arguments critically. The author calls for greater attention to how these literacies connect conceptually and pedagogically.

The article presents a systematic literature review of 28 studies (2010–2018) examining data literacy in K–12 education, particularly for teachers and school leaders. It finds that while the concept of data literacy has become more clearly articulated over time, there is still disagreement about its precise scope and components. The review shows that teacher education programs tend to emphasize assessment literacy rather than broader data competencies. Based on the findings, the authors recommend skill-focused preparation programs, collaborative learning opportunities, modeling the use of both quantitative and qualitative data, and greater attention to technology and Big Data.

The article discusses the growing importance of data literacy in the age of the Internet and Open Data, positioning it as a fundamental life skill for non-specialists. Despite its increasing relevance, the concept remains loosely defined. The issue explores both conceptual definitions of data literacy and practical initiatives aimed at strengthening and sustaining it. It brings together diverse international perspectives, including contributions from Western countries and the Global South.