Deborah L. Begoray University of Victoria, BC, Canada DBEGORAY@UVIC.CA

1. Developing and Implementing Critical Media Health Literacy Pedagogy in High School: A Canadian Study Deborah L. Begoray University of Victoria, BC, Canada DBEGORAY@UVIC.CA

2. Overview of Presentation Definitions and concepts (What is critical media health literacy?) Literature review Research purposes Research methodology Development and implementation Initial findings and challenges

3. NAMLE Media Education Purposes Active inquiry and critical thinking about the messages we receive and create Development of informed, reflective and engaged participants essential for a democratic society

4. Critical Media Health Literacy Critical health literacy Critical media literacy Critical media health literacy

5. Literacy to Literacies Literacy – traditional reading and writing Literacies – multiple modes Wider inclusion of different cultures, understanding of power relations, social constructivism, social activism

6. Health Literacy “The ability to access, understand, evaluate and communicate information as a way to promote, maintain and improve health in a variety of settings across the life-course” (Rootman & El-Bihbety, 2008)

7. Critical Health Literacy Health literacy as ‘critical for empowerment’ (WHO, 2008) Critical health literacy—understanding social determinants and ability to take social action on health (Nutbeam, 2008) Individualist – autonomous, self-managing, evaluating AND active citizen also with public health goals (Chinn, 2011) Not dependent on reading/writing

8. Media Health Literacy “Mass media content is often implicit and can be either health promoting or health compromising” (Levin-Zamir, Lemish, & Gofin, 2011) Israeli adolescent study and measure; to identify health related media content, recognize its influence on behaviour, critically analyze content (agreement/disagreement with message), express intention to respond through action.

9. British Columbia’s Planning 10 • The Planning 10 curriculum covers Health, Graduation Program, Education and Careers, Finances. • 36 hours- suggested time frame for the health module. • 4 topics/9 learning outcomes: healthy living (nutrition, exercise), health information (STIs, road safety), healthy relationships (dating, harassment), healthy decisions (sex, workplace, Internet).

10. Literature Says… Critical media education and media literacy development has the potential to be a potent strategy to promote health and prevent disease among youth (Bergsma, 2004). Media dominance & targeting of adolescents, means that critical media literacy must be in curriculum (Kellner & Share, 2005)

11. Previous Findings • Media has become adolescents’ “super-peer” (Brown, Halpern, & Engle, 2005, p. 421) and “culture parent” (Grube, 1995 cited in Gonzales, Glik, Davoudi, & Ang, 2004, p. 189). • Adolescents need assistance to develop their ability to evaluate media messages (Begoray, Cimon, & Wharf Higgins, 2010). • Critical media literacy instruction may allow youth to navigate their way through oceans of information to comprehend and, especially, to critically evaluate the broader implications of the texts they engage with (Brown, 2006; Hobbs & Jensen, 2009).

12. Our previous research with adolescents found… Only 6% identified media influence on their health However, when asked where they went for health information 67% reported going to Internet (parents 54%) None identified indirect influence of media as a health educator

13. Examining Adolescent Literacy, Health and the Media Nationally funded, SSHRC 2009-2012 Year One – concept analysis and curriculum development Year Two – data collection and analysis Year Three – follow up study

14. Methodology Quasi experimental, control and intervention schools Qualitative: observation, products, focus groups 90 students 6 lessons of 80 minutes which addressed media messages on health (22% of health module) Also addressed the BC health curriculum objective of health information: “media literacy for health information—accuracy, bias, point of view, relevance”

15. Research Purposes Develop theoretical framework of CMHL Inform and work with health education teachers Develop health education strategies to help students interrogate media messages Build an assessment tool to measure CMHL

16. Pre –Test (Pepsi)

17. Post test (Coke)

18. Three CMHL Lessons Lesson One: Understanding focus groups as used by sponsors to refine ads and PSAs Lesson Two: Analyzing PSA effectiveness (print ad samples ParticipAction…) Lesson Three: Students researched a topic and created a poster on health topic of their choice

19. Classroom Results: Sample Poster

20. Poster Analysis for CMHL Purpose: to inform and persuade Specific values and lifestyles: individual responsibility to keep yourself safe Multiple techniques to hold audience attention: colours, graphics, statistical chart, real props Audience of grade 12 was impressed Teacher was embarrassed!

21. Focus Group: Students “Sometimes sites will have like the little ads at the top that say you are the millionth  visitor today and you win an iPad and sometimes like they might not be the most trustworthy sites if they have fake ads like that” “I know everyone uses Google to search for anything and the first one page usually have the best sites, because they are the best well known…most people have most viewed it probably that’s why they always have it on the first page…”

22. Focus group: Students cont’d “I do have to say Pepsi makes, not convincing, but pretty good ads. But um, especially for like when World Cup soccer’s on, they showed kids in Africa, like um, you might not even like the product , but you’d buy it just to help them out or something.” “Because everyone drinks Coke. I’ve seen  people much more older people and much more younger people drink Coke and Pepsi. So it has a really wide [audience].” “How about Nike, you know a sixty year old isn’t going to watch a Nike  commercial, but maybe a 20 year old to 18, like some group audience really are clearer.”

23. Focus Group: Teachers “Students kept personal logs. That had more impact” “Students are critical because health is within Planning 10…they think it’s a waste of time” “[Curriculum] has recommended activities and outcomes but not techniques to incorporate critical media health literacy”

24. Quantitative Results NSD between control and intervention groups Question 1: Who is the author of this message? Pre test: 19 chose ‘South Africans’; Post test: only 7 Q 2: What are the author’s main purposes? Pre test: 32 chose ‘to inform’; post-only 14 Q 3: What techniques were used to attract and hold your attention? Pretest—no mention of colour, visuals, graphics; post 41 mentions

25. Quantitative II Question 11: Are there any health messages? Some understanding technique of linking of healthy activity with unhealthy activity “Drink Pepsi and you can be good at football” “Pop is not healthy but playing sports is” Lingering confusion “be active, live healthy” “get involved with peers”

26. Discussion CMHL as a concept can be developed from current literature and research CMHL can be developed and integrated into existing high school curriculum CMHL is challenging to implement in average classroom Average scores on post tests still failing (27%) (really a reading and writing test?) Posters show audience sensitivity (two grades up), look as important as information, ‘hook to look’

27. Discussion II Posters and discussion engage other forms of communication (visual/oral) Teacher/researchers did not have relationship? Recommendations: younger grade introduction particularly given youth’s predilection for media entertainment Students need access to tools that are ‘digital’ ‘modern’ Curriculum is frequently interrupted, teachers not prepared

28. And finally, thanks Our sponsor! Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada Teacher and student participants Graduate students: Janie Harrison, Chris Beers