The Relationship between Prospective Teachers' Media and Television Literacy and Critical Thinking Dispositions

Teachers are significant determinants of guiding students on media literacy and critical thinking. Hence, prospective teachers are required to have knowledge about media literacy and critical thinking during pre-service training. Providing that prospective teachers that will shape the next generation gain such skills as accessing to knowledge, examining knowledge with a critical perspective and discerning what is good and what is bad, they will be able to enhance students to acquire these skills. Likewise, a small number of studies which examine the relationship between media literacy and critical thinking were observed. That is the reason for conducting such a study. Purpose of the Study: The aim of the present study is to analyze the relationship between prospective teachers‘ media and television literacy levels and critical thinking dispositions. Method: Relational screening models were used in research. The sample of the research consisted of 166 prospective teachers studying teacher training course at one of the state universities in Turkey. Descriptive statistics, MANOVA and Pearson product-moment correlation were used in the data analysis of the research. Findings and Results: In the current study, it was found that critical thinking dispositions of prospective teachers along with their media and television literacy differ significantly depending on gender and major. It was found that there is a medium level of positive relationship between the general scores of critical thinking dispositions of prospective teachers and literacy sub dimension of media and television literacy scale while there is a low-level of positive relationship in the addiction sub dimension. Recommendations: Based upon the findings of the study, recommendations are as such; given the low critical thinking disposition scores of the prospective teachers, it is emphasized that higher education curricula could be prepared for developing critical thinking skills; moreover, various measures should be taken with the aim of having the appropriate equipment and psychological environment to develop these skills, in the present study it was found that there is a medium level of positive relationship between the general scores of critical thinking dispositions of prospective teachers and literacy sub dimension of media and television literacy scale and the relationship between media literacy and critical thinking can be examined through different sample groups and different measurement tools.