Middle School Students' Analysis of Political Memes to Support Critical Media Literacy

Autor/inn/en	Elmore, Patricia G.; Coleman, Julianne M.
Titel	Middle School Students' Analysis of Political Memes to Support Critical Media Literacy
Quelle	In: Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 63 (2019) 1, S.29-40 (12 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	1081-3004
DOI	10.1002/jaal.948
Schlagwörter	Middle School Students; Politics; Visual Aids; Media Literacy; Critical Literacy; Persuasive Discourse; Social Media; Rural Schools; Rhetorical Criticism + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Middle school; Middle schools; Student; Students; Mittelschule; Mittelstufenschule; Schüler; Schülerin; Politik; Anschauungsmaterial; Media skills; Medie competence; Medienkompetenz; Kritisches Lesen; Persuasion; Persuasive Kommunikation; Soziale Medien; Rural area; Rural areas; School; Schools; Ländlicher Raum; Schule; Schulen
Abstract	Political memes are argumentative visual texts commonly encountered on social media. Through the strategic combination of imagery and captions, a political meme presents information as fact about a topic, an individual, or a specific group. The power of political memes can be attributed to their viral nature and their effects on public discourse and perceptions. To critically read a political meme, students must be equipped with critical media literacy skills. This article describes how action researchers engaged 56 middle school students in the rhetorical analysis of political memes with the goal of supporting critical media literacy skills through practical application. The two-week study took place in the Southeastern United States at a rural school. Students determined that the political memes created false binaries, appealed to group identities, drew on macro and micro sociopolitical contexts, and used strategic visual arrangements to form an argument. Critical media literacy is imperative given the prevalent and viral nature of media and its effects on people and public policy. (As Provided).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2020/1/01