Parents' meta-reflexivity benefits media education of children

 Tea Golob, Faculty of Information Studies (Slovenia)

 Matej Makarovič, School of Advanced Social Studies (Slovenia)

 Mateja Rek, Faculty of Media (Slovenia)

https://doi.org/10.3916/C76-2023-08

Keywords

Reflexivity, parental behavior, pre-school, children exposure, screen, quantitative analysis

Abstract

The paper explores the effects of the sociological concept of reflexivity to parents’ media education of preschool children. It draws upon the recommendations of the American Academy of Paediatrics referring to the restrictions of screen exposure based on different age groups, coviewing and discussing media content. It applies a social survey on the Slovenian national sample of parents to (1) review their media education practices, (2) identify the factors affecting these practices through regression analyses and (3) use path analysis to provide an explanatory model of the factors affecting children’s screen exposure. A Reflexivity Measurement Tool is applied to assess the parents’ meta-reflexivity scores. The hypothesis that meta-reflexivity is one of the key factors affecting media education is confirmed. The results show differences in screen exposure between age groups and higher exposure of boys when compared to girls. Children of the divorced/separated parents are more exposed to screens. Setting restrictions is quite common but it is also the quality of media content and the interaction with children that matters. Meta-reflexivity not only decreases the quantity of screen exposure. but it also makes coviewing and discussing media content with children more likely. Moreover, the significance of parents as role models is confirmed.

References

Adam, F., & Gorišek, M. (2020). Meritokracija med mitom, normo in realnostjo. Družboslovne razprave, 36(94/95), 217-238. https://bit.ly/41FGOvx

Link Google Scholar

Adam, F., & Gorišek, M. (2022). Towards sustained and sustainable management of COVID-19: An alternative to the simplified return to pre-pandemic normality. Sustainability. 14(17), 1-16. https://doi.org/10.3390/su141710789

Link DOI | Link Google Scholar

Archer, M.S. (2003). Structure, agency and the internal conversation. Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781139087315

Link DOI | Link Google Scholar

Archer, M.S. (2007). Making our way through the world: Human reflexivity and social mobility. Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511618932

Link DOI | Link Google Scholar

Archer, M.S. (2012). The Reflexive imperative in late modernity. Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781139108058

Link DOI | Link Google Scholar

Buckingham, D. (2007). Beyond technology: Children’s learning in the age of digital culture. Polity. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1099-0860.2007.00135.x

Link DOI | Link Google Scholar

Christ, W.G., & Abreu, B.S.D. (Eds.). (2020). Media literacy in a disruptive media environment. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780367814762

Link DOI | Link Google Scholar

Christakis, D.A., Ramirez, J.S.B., Ferguson, S.M., Ravinder, S., & Ramirez, J.M. (2018). How early media exposure may affect cognitive function: A review of results from observations in humans and experiments in mice. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 115(40), 9851-9858. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1711548115

Link DOI | Link Google Scholar

De-Frutos-Torres, B., Pastor-Rodríguez, A., & Cruz-Díaz, R. (2021). Credibilidad e implicaciones éticas de las redes sociales para los jóvenes. Revista Latina de Comunicación Social, 79, 51-68. https://doi.org/10.4185/RLCS-2021-1512

Link DOI | Link Google Scholar

Farrell, A., Kagan, S., & Tisdall, E.K. (2022). The SAGE handbook of early childhood research. SAGE. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781473920859

Link DOI | Link Google Scholar

Golob, T., & Makarovi?, M. (2018). Student mobility and transnational social ties as factors of reflexivity. Social Sciences, 7(3), 46. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci7030046

Link DOI | Link Google Scholar

Golob, T., & Makarovi?, M. (2019). Reflexivity and structural positions: The effects of generation, gender and education. Social Sciences, 8(9). https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci8090248

Link DOI | Link Google Scholar

Golob, T., & Makarovi?, M. (2022). Meta-reflexivity as a way toward responsible and sustainable behavior. Sustainability, 14(9). https://doi.org/10.3390/su14095192

Link DOI | Link Google Scholar

Golob, T., Makarovi?, M., & Rek, M. (2021). Meta-reflexivity for resilience against disinformation. [Meta-reflexividad para la resiliencia contra la desinformación]. Comunicar, 66, 107-118. https://doi.org/10.3916/C66-2021-09Hayes, B.D., Kobner, S., Trueger, N.S., Yiu, S., & Lin, M. (2015). Social media in the emergency medicine residency curriculum: Social media responses to the residents’ perspective article. Annals of Emergency Medicine, 65(5), 573-583. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.annemergmed.2015.01.018

Link DOI | Link Google Scholar

Hill, D., Ameenuddin, N., Chassiakos Reid, Y.L., Cross, C., Hutchinson, J., & Levine, A. (2016). Media and young minds. Pediatrics, 138(5), e20162591. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2016-2591

Link DOI | Link Google Scholar

Hobbs, R. (2010). Digital and media literacy: A plan of action. A White paper on the digital and media literacy recommendations of the knight commission on the information needs of communities in a democracy. Aspen Institute. https://bit.ly/3Za76Ex

Link Google Scholar

Kaur, N., Gupta, M., Malhi, P., & Grover, S. (2019). Screen time in under-five children. Indian Pediatrics, 56(9), 773-788. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13312-019-1638-8

Link DOI | Link Google Scholar

Kubey, R. (2001). Media literacy in the information age. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781351292924

Link DOI | Link Google Scholar

Lemish, D. (2015). Children and media: A global perspective. Wiley-Blackwell. https://bit.ly/3ZFqZmy

Link Google Scholar

Livingstone, S. (2004). Media literacy and the challenge of new information and communication technologies. The Communication Review, 7(1), 3-14. https://doi.org/10.1080/10714420490280152

Link DOI | Link Google Scholar

Livingstone, S., Lemish, D., Lim, S.S., Bulger, M., Cabello, P., Claro, M., Cabello-Hutt, T., Khalil, J., Kumpulainen, K., Nayar, U.S., Nayar, P., Park, J., Tan, M.M., Prinsloo, J., & Wei, B. (2017). Global perspectives on children’s digital opportunities: An emerging research and policy agenda. Pediatrics, 140(2), 137-141. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2016-1758S

Link DOI | Link Google Scholar

Porpora, D.V., & Shumar, W. (2010). Self talk and self reflection. In M.S. Archer (Ed.), Conversations about Reflexivity, (pp. 206-220). https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203867556

Link DOI | Link Google Scholar

Rek, M. (2019). Media education in Slovene preschools: A review of four studies. CEPS, 9(1), 45-60. https://doi.org/10.26529/cepsj.659

Link DOI | Link Google Scholar

Rek, M., & Kova?i?, A. (2018). Media and preschool children: The role of parents as role models and educators. Medijske Studije, 9(18), 27-43. https://doi.org/10.20901/ms.9.18.2

Link DOI | Link Google Scholar

Rek, M., Ljubotina, P., Meši?, S., & Bašin, A. (2022). Mediji in predšolski otroci v Sloveniji. Infrastrukturni program Fakultete za medije – zbiranje, vodenje in arhiviranje podatkov o medijski pismenosti. [Media and preschool children in Slovenia. Infrastructure program of the Faculty of Media-Collecting, managing and archiving data on media literacy]. Faculty of Media. https://bit.ly/3mewhXQ

Link Google Scholar

Rideout, V. (2014). Learning at home: Families’ educational media use in America. Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop. https://bit.ly/3YcQ1IM

Link Google Scholar

Rivera-Rogel, D., Zuluaga-Arias, L.I., Ramírez, N.M.M., Romero-Rodríguez, L.M., & Aguaded, I. (2017). Media competencies for the citizenship training of teachers from Andean America: Colombia and Ecuador. Paidéia. https://doi.org/10.1590/1982-43272766201710

Link DOI | Link Google Scholar

Serrano-Díaz, N., Aragón-Mendizábal, E., & Mérida-Serrano, R. (2022). Families’ perception of children’s academic performance during the COVID-19 lockdown. [Percepción de las familias sobre el desempeño escolar durante el confinamiento por COVID-19]. Comunicar, 70, 59-68. https://doi.org/10.3916/C70-2022-05Strutt, D. (2019). Digital image and reality: Affect, metaphysics and post-cinema. Amsterdam University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/9789048538652

Link DOI | Link Google Scholar

Tommasi, F., Ceschi, A., Sartori, R., Gostimir, M., Passaia, G., Genero, S., & Belotto, S. (2021). Enhancing critical thinking and media literacy in the context of IVET: A systematic scoping review. European Journal of Training and Development. [ahead-of-print]. https://doi.org/10.1108/EJTD-06-2021-0074

Link DOI | Link Google Scholar

Wartella, E., Kirkpatrick, E., Rideout, V., Lauricella, A., & Connell, S. (2014). Media, technology, and reading in Hispanic families: A national survey. Center on Media and Human Development at Northwestern University and National Center for Families Learning. https://bit.ly/3EVKlfn

Link Google Scholar

Fundref

Slovenian Research Agency, in the frameworks of infrastructure program of the Faculty of Media Ref. I0-0045 - Collecting, Managing and Archiving Data on Media Literacy, the research project Ref. J5-1788 Advancing social and environmental sustainability: Exploring and predicting responsible behaviour in Slovenia (School of Advanced Social Studies, Nova Gorica, Slovenia) and the research program Ref. P1-0383 Complex Networks (Faculty of Information Studies, Novo mesto, Slovenia).

Crossmark

Technical information

Received: 12-10-2022

Revised: 08-11-2022

Accepted: 23-02-2023

OnlineFirst: 30-05-2023

Publication date: 01-07-2023

Article revision time: 27 days | Average time revision issue 76: -6 days

Article acceptance time: 134 days | Average time of acceptance issue 76: 72 days

Preprint editing time: 217 days | Average editing time preprint issue 76: 155 days

Article editing time: 262 days | Average editing time issue 76: 200 days

Metrics

Metrics of this article

Views: 56733

Abstract readings: 55682

PDF downloads: 1051

Full metrics of Comunicar 76

Views: 485005

Abstract readings: 473392

PDF downloads: 11613

Cited by