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.

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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).

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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

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