Media Literacy Levels of Students Attending the Department of Computer Education and Instructional Technologies

Individuals doing research and analysis, thinking critically and constructing information via interpretation could be said to have the qualifications expected from the 21st century human in this rapidly developing world of information. In this respect the present study aimed at determining CEIT students’ levels of media literacy and to examine their media literacy with respect to certain variables. Within the scope of the study survey model was used. The study employed a total of 688 CEIT students from six different universities chosen on the basis of random sampling method. In order to examine the participants’ levels of media literacy, the “Media Literacy Scale” was used. The results of the study revealed that the students attending the department of CEIT had an average level of media literacy. The results of the present study demonstrated that the participating students’ levels of media literacy differed with respect to their university, class-grade, their availability of Internet access, the time they spent on the Internet and some of their Internet use purposes. In addition, it was also seen that the students’ levels of media literacy did not differ depending on the amount of time they spent on watching television. The findings obtained in the study revealed the need for organizing activities to use the Internet more for educational purposes and conducting similar studies in faculties or higher education institutions in different fields. Also, in order to examine the causes of the present findings, further qualitative research could be conducted with faculty members as well as students from the department of CEIT. And also courses related to media literacy could be included at least as an optional course in the curriculum of CEIT.