This study aims to present an educational method using newspapers to develop literacy and critical thinking skills among adolescents familiar with digital media. As digital natives, today's adolescents are exposed to fast and fragmented information th...
This study aims to present an educational method using newspapers to develop literacy and critical thinking skills among adolescents familiar with digital media. As digital natives, today's adolescents are exposed to fast and fragmented information through various media platforms. However, the nature of digital media can be a hindrance to improving critical thinking. In particular, younger generations lack the experience to read longer texts or analyze information in a systematic basis, leading to a poorer literacy in overall. Newspapers are a valuable educational tool to address these issues, and their 5W1H structure and fact-based approach to information delivery can help students develop their analytical skills to analyze and interpret information systematically.
This study aims to present an educational method using newspapers to develop literacy and critical thinking skills among adolescents familiar with digital media. As digital natives, today's adolescents are exposed to fast and fragmented information through various media platforms. However, the nature of these media can be detrimental to adolescents' critical thinking skills. Young people in generations these days especially have a lack of experience in reading longer texts and analyzing information systematically, which could result in poorer literacy overall. Newspapers are a valuable educational tool to address these issues, and their 5W1H structure and fact-based approach to information delivery can help students develop their analytical skills to analyze and interpret information systematically.
This study examined the effectiveness of using newspapers to teach adolescents to improve literacy and foster critical thinking. The participants in the study were upper elementary school students who participated in a newspaper class taught by an in-service teacher. The class was taught using the Korea Economic Daily's "Junior Saenggeulsaenggeul." Students improved their ability to organize information and think logically through article writing and analysis activities. The class applied systematic teaching methods such as reading articles, summarizing gists, and discussing from diverse perspectives to help students critically approach social issues through these newspapers. Consequently, students can sharpen their critical thinking skills and improve their ability to sort things out and express their logical opinions through newspapers.
In conclusion, education based on newspapers is essential in nurturing active interpretational skills and critical thinking abilities among adolescents in the flood of digital information. This study showed the effectiveness of education with newspapers when improving adolescents' literacy and critical thinking. Implications suggest that it can be a viable alternative for various educational settings.