The Effect of a Gender Course on the Gender Attitudes, Critical Thinking Dispositions, and Media Literacy Skills of University Students

Abstract

This study aims to determine the effect of a university elective course focusing on gender on students' gender attitudes, critical thinking dispositions, and media literacy skills. The research design was quasi-experimental, and the study was conducted with a pretest/posttest control group. The sample of the study consisted of 74 students who took a course on gender during the fall semester of the 2016-2017 academic year and 70 students who had similar characteristics but did not receive the course. In the pretest and posttest evaluation conducted in the first week and the last week of the semester, respectively, the Student Information Form, the Gender Roles Attitude Scale (GRAS), the Critical Thinking Dispositions Scale (CTDS), and the Media Literacy Scale (MLS) were administered to the students in both groups. The Course Satisfaction Assessment Form was administered at the end of the term to the students who enrolled for the gender course. The GRAS scores of the experimental group increased at the end of the course (p<0.05). The GRAS total mean scores of both the groups were similar in the pretest, but there was a statistically significant difference between their total mean scores in the posttest (p<0.05). This study recommends more comprehensive and long-term studies on integrating a gender course into the university curriculum, which will help develop students' critical thinking disposition and media literacy skills and raise awareness of gender equality among students.