Present Situation Of Students' Media Literacy Research

In the information age, mass media plays a ubiquitous and indispensable role in our daily lives. Media has a subtle influence on people's interpretation of information, understanding of reality and value judgment. The rational consumption and effective usage of media are significantly conducive to a person's development. Under this circumstance, media literacy has become one of the basic abilities for citizens in modern society.The concept of media literacy originated in the United Kingdom in the 1930s, and developed gradually over six decades, which witnessed the establishment of systematic media literacy theory as well as teaching practice in most western countries. In China, however, it remains a brand-new field. The connotation and significance of media literacy have not won broad recognition. Few solid researches focus on Chinese citizen's media literacy. And suitable media literacy education frame is far from established.In an attempt to tap this field, this thesis first introduces the concept and connotation of media literacy, and then puts forward an assessment frame, including seven sectors: knowledge, access, understanding, analysis, criticism, evaluation and production.Under this assessment frame, a survey has been conducted among 300 students in six universities or colleges in Shanghai. The survey shows that the media literacy level of university students is far from ideal, leaving much room for improvement in different aspects.Based on the experience from western countries, this thesis also makes some suggestions on how to establish a suitable media literacy education system in China. It contends that media literacy education can be carried out in various forms. The major move includes adding media content to the national curriculum, and it summons support from family, society and mass media as well to accomplish an effective citizen education frame for media literacy.