A Comparative Study of Media Literacy Education Curriculum in Canada, Iran, and the United States

The aim of present study is to compare curriculum of media literacy education in schools in Canada, Iran and the United States in order to benefit from the experiences of pioneer and active countries. The present study is a qualitative and applied research that was conducted by Bereday’s Comparative Method. Canada was chosen for being a leader in media literacy education, and the United States because of its diverse approaches. The data were collected and analyzed in an attributive process by referring to authoritative scientific articles and websites of the Ministry of Education and reputable media literacy education societies of selected countries. In order to increase validity of original documents and to increase reliability, self-assessment was performed by the researchers. To indicate similarities and differences among selected countries John Stuart Mill approach was used. The findings reveal most similarities in methods of teaching-learning and most differences in content organization. Curriculum planners in Iran are advised to use media literacy as an essential skill, using a reciprocal and spiral curriculum approach, at all levels of education and more attention to component of the media message production and role of students in the learning process.