The 'Mozgóképkultúra és médiaismeret' subject, the education of media literacy and its position and function in the Hungarian public education

Abstract

The media surrounds us continuously, we use it at work, for entertainment, for educational purposes, and in every field of our lives. Do we use it consciously? Does every generation use it consciously? Are children taught in schools how to use the media consciously? What does media education mean in current terms in Hungary? These questions form the starting point of our study. This paper includes two bigger thematic units.
In the first unit, after discussing briefly the National Core Curriculum-related part of media education, we examine the subject of media literacy, the situation of media education in Hungary, and the media consumption habits of younger generations as well. In the second unit, we present the results of our own survey and attempt to draw the relevant conclusions. Although we did not have the opportunity to make a representative survey, nonetheless we think that our research provides valuable information. Our survey was filled out by 301 respondents. It is surprising to see the high proportion of media classes led in an unfocused way. Furthermore, another surprising conclusion is how little emphasis is placed on teaching media literacy, while in the current National Core Curriculum introduced in 2012, a great emphasis is placed on this field. Accordingly, the majority of our respondents think that media education is essential, and almost 50% of them suggest that, in such classes, emphasis should be put on teaching conscious media use.