Media Literacy Skills of Seventh Grade Secondary School Students: The Predictive Power of Communication Skills

Abstract

Today's education systems aim to equip individuals with versatile, applicable skills rather than focusing solely on specific subject knowledge. By emphasizing skills training, individuals can better adapt to evolving global conditions and contribute to a more dynamic and competitive society through ongoing personal development. Reflecting this approach, many countries, including Türkiye, integrate skills training into their curricula. In the Social Studies Curriculum in Türkiye, communication and media literacy skills are among the skills aimed to be acquired by students in the learning area named ‘Individual and Society’ in the seventh grade. This study explores the relationship between these two skills. The research aimed to determine whether seventh-grade students' communication skills could predict their media literacy skills. Using a relational screening model, the study employed the "Communication Skills Assessment Scale" and the "Media Literacy Competence Scale" as data collection tools. Data analysis was performed through correlation and regression analyses. The study sample consisted of 416 seventh-grade students from 10 randomly selected secondary schools in Erzincan province, Türkiye, for the 2022-2023 academic year. The findings revealed significant relationships between communication skills and various sub-dimensions of media literacy. Specifically, communication skills were positively correlated with media literacy sub-dimensions and were identified as significant predictors for all aspects of media literacy.