Preliminary communication
https://doi.org/10.22522/cmr20190140
Primary School Principals' Perception of the Importance of Media Literacy in Primary Education
Lana Ciboci
orcid.org/0000-0003-1495-9573
; Edward Bernays Visoka škola za komunikacijski menadžment, Zagreb, Hrvatska
Tamara Gazdić-Alerić
orcid.org/0000-0001-5035-1587
; Učiteljski fakultet Sveučilišta u Zagrebu, Zagreb, Hrvatska
Igor Kanižaj
orcid.org/0000-0002-8807-3655
; Fakultet političkih znanosti Sveučilišta u Zagrebu, Zagreb, Hrvatska
Abstract
Principals are one of the key carriers of educational activities in schools who, in cooperation with the school board, students, parents, professional associates, but also external partners, can decisively influence the school curriculum and the quality and quantity of extracurricular activities. Given that they play a key role in the educational process, it is surprising that, in Croatia, there is almost no research into the views of principals on various issues related to the educational process, and so far, no single systematic study has been conducted on principals' views on media literacy, media education and media culture. This fact further motivated us to conduct a survey in November 2016 as part of the Professional Encounter Education and Licensing of Principals of the Croatian Association of Principals of Primary Schools on a sample of 198 principals of primary schools from all parts of the Republic of Croatia to determine principals' views on the importance of media literacy in primary education, and to determine, at the same time, how well primary schools are equipped with media, how often principals financially support additional training for teachers about media, and whether schools organise extracurricular training about media for students, parents, teachers, and professional associates. The survey showed that most principals, as many as 57.3% of them, believe that, after finishing primary school, Croatian students are not media literate based on what they learned at school, and that, in the last few years, parents have shown an increased interest in media literacy. Despite this, as many as 43.8% of principals point out that they have not organised extracurricular lectures on media for parents in the last year, and every fourth principal points out that their school never holds lectures on media for teachers and professional associates. It was also shown that schools are still not well equipped technically, which is a prerequisite for the implementation of media education, since only 44.2% of principals pointed out that, in their school, there is a computer and a projector in every classroom. Since principals have a significant influence on the quality of teaching, they themselves should have regular training related to media literacy informed in a timely manner about the results of the latest research in this area and informed about new achievements related to the rapidly developing media.
Keywords
media education, media literacy, primary school, principals
Hrčak ID:
223653
URI
Publication date:
30.7.2019.
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