A Multi-Dimensional Approach to Measuring News Media Literacy

Authors

Emily K. Vraga, George Mason UniversityFollow
Melissa Tully, University of IowaFollow
John E. Kotcher, George Mason UniversityFollow
Anne-Bennett Smithson, George Mason UniversityFollow
Melissa Broeckelman-Post, George Mason UniversityFollow

Abstract

Measuring news media literacy is important in order for it to thrive in a variety of educational and civic contexts. This research builds on existing measures of news media literacy and two new scales are presented that measure self-perceived media literacy (SPML) and perceptions of the value of media literacy (VML). Research with a larger sample of college undergraduate students and a smaller sample of adults enabled the validation of these measures. Results confirm the value of conceptualizing news media literacy using the theoretical subcomponents of authors & audiences, messages & meaning, and representation & realities. The VML scale, in particular, proved especially consequential in predicting knowledge about and attitudes towards the media.

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.

Recommended Citation

Vraga, E. K., Tully, M., Kotcher, J. E., Smithson, A., & Broeckelman-Post, M. (2016). A Multi-Dimensional Approach to Measuring News Media Literacy. Journal of Media Literacy Education, 7(3), 41-53. https://doi.org/10.23860/jmle-7-3-4