The media literacy production experience : a phenomenological study of student media production in a secondary education environment /

by 1970- Saxton, Brian N.

The Media Literacy Production Experience: a Phenomenological Study of Student Media Production in a Secondary Education Environment Brian Neil Saxton Department of Theatre and Media Arts Master of Arts Many media education researchers have pointed out the benefits of incorporating a production element into a media literacy program. In fact, the simple use of the word “literacy” alludes to both critical analysis of (“reading”) media and creative expression through (“writing”) media. However, many of those same researchers have found that there are serious difficulties with student media production from a practical standpoint. The lack of equipment, the lack of class time, poor educator training, and the possibility that students may produce school-inappropriate or offensive texts create doubts about whether or not the effort is worth the reward. This qualitative, phenomenological study seeks to provide an answer to those doubts from the standpoint of secondary education (high school) students who participated in a short film production project. The students were surveyed, interviewed, observed, and asked to keep journals about their experiences. That experiential data was then analyzed for significant themes or patterns that could illuminate the essence of the students’ experiences. The relative value and the difficulties of the project from the perspective of the students are then evaluated. vi