Media literacy: A survey of College of Education faculty in the State of Nevada

Research suggests few Colleges of Education provide training in media literacy for prospective teachers. This research examined how College of Education faculty in the State of Nevada conceptualized media literacy, whether they thought it should be a part of the K--12 curriculum, and what they thought was important for K--12 students to know about media. The study further looked at faculty training in media literacy and what obstacles faculty members see to training prospective teachers in media literacy. The data indicated that respondents supported media literacy training for K--12 students and for prospective teachers, believing there is a need for students to understand not only how to use and create media but also how it influences them. This research also showed few faculty members received media literacy training, yet many integrated it into their curriculum. Finally, faculty suggested ways to strengthen media literacy training to prospective teachers as well as those already in the profession.