PATTERNS OF REQUIRED MEDIA EDUCATION WITHIN UNDERGRADUATE ELEMENTARY EDUCATION PRESERVICE PROGRAMS OF HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS IN THE SOUTHEAST

This research determined existing patterns of required media education within the 136 National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education-accredited higher education institutions in the Southeast using responses from eighty-five per cent of the program coordinators.;Conclusions were: (1) Ninety per cent required media education. (2) Fifty-four per cent employed general media education course, usually delivered by education departments. (3) The second and third most often used delivery methods were including media education as part of one or more required education courses and integrating it throughout required education program, respectively. (4) One or more institutions in seven of eleven states surveyed required no media education. (5) Ninety-seven per cent provided actual contact with a wide variety and range of children's instructional materials through required methods courses. (6) Ninety-three per cent indicated presence of an instructional materials center. (7) Ninety-three per cent provided facilities, materials and equipment for producing instructional materials. (8) Fifty-nine per cent of twenty-two institutions integrating media education throughout elementary education program had no coordinator for it. (9) Eighty-two per cent ensured transfer students received media education. (10) No evidence existed that schools/departments of library science/media/educational technology exerted any influence upon teaching of media education.;Recommendations for further study: (1) Replicate for secondary, graduate, national and/or other regional levels. (2) Conduct comparison study involving institutions not accredited by National Council for Accrediation of Teacher Education. (3) Conduct experimental research relative to delivery method effectiveness. (4) Conduct qualitative evaluation of media education support facilities. (5) Discover how competencies identified by state education agencies are being implemented by higher education institutions. (6) Investigate conditions under which teachers are more likely to successfully and consistently apply media competencies.;Research questions sought to determine whether media education was required, delivery methods and departments delivering, support facilities, and efforts to coordinate a media education experience throughout the elementary education program.