Kritische kijkers
| PhD ceremony: | Ms M. (Marika) Curganov |
| When: | March 11, 2021 |
| Start: | 16:15 |
| Supervisor: | prof. dr. J.J.H. (Jeroen) Dekker |
| Co-supervisors: | dr. W.A.J. Meijer, dr. P. Nikken |
| Where: | Academy building RUG |
| Faculty: | Behavioural and Social Sciences |
The dissertation ‘Kritische kijkers’ is about media education and the participants involved: youngsters, parents and other educators, professionals and, from a certain age, peers. The central question is: How can youngsters’ media use be guided by educators? To answer this question, research has been conducted into advice on media education, the consumption of adventure/fantasy stories by girls, how identity development takes shape in these stories, and the added value of critical pedagogy in the issue of media education.
The main findings are that the current advice on media education is well applicable, but not very substantiated or based on pedagogical theory. Girls from the age of 12 have watched and read Harry Potter, The Hunger Games and Twilight en masse, shared this interest especially with their peers and could identify with female main characters in particular. Of these main characters, only Katniss from The Hunger Games gives an example of how self-exploration helps you achieve a stable sense of identity. Critical pedagogy can contribute to the issue of media education in various areas, mainly with a higher goal, namely to fight for a better world.
Various recommendations were formulated based on the results of this study. Advice on media education should be tailored to the ages of youngsters, be more substantiated, and address both opportunities and risks of media use. Parenting responsibility must be broadly supported. In addition to parents, other (professional) educators such as teachers and parenting supporters, media companies and governments are jointly responsible for the world in which young people grow up.