Formal and informal media education in Ukraine: problems and prospects

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Formal and informal media education in Ukraine: problems and prospects

Oksana Kondur,

Doctor of Pedagogical Sciences, Professor, Dean of the Pedagogical Faculty,

Vasyl Stefanyk Precarpathian National University (Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine)

Iryna Didukh,

Candidate of pedagogical sciences, Docent, docent the Department of Social Pedagogy and Social Work, Vasyl Stefanyk Precarpathian National University (Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine)

Формальна та неформальна медіаосвіта в Україні: проблеми і перспективи

Оксана Кондур,

доктор педагогічних наук, професор, декан педагогічного факультету,

Прикарпатський національний університет імені Василя Стефаника (м. Івано-Франківськ, Україна)

Ірина Дідух,

кандидат педагогічних наук, доцент кафедри соціальної педагогіки та соціальної роботи, Прикарпатський національний університет імені Василя Стефаника (м. Івано-Франківськ, Україна)

Анотація

У статті розглянуто сучасний стан розвитку формальної та неформальної медіаосвіти в українському освітньому просторі. Здійснено комплексний аналіз формальних та неформальних аспектів медіаосвітньої парадигми, ідентифіковано ключові напрями їх розвитку. Систематизовано формальні та неформальні аспекти медіаосвіти із урахуванням її впливу на розвиток медіаграмотності та критичного мислення учасників освітнього процесу. Висвітлено медіаосвітній досвід та найкращі практики медіапросвітницької діяльності у формальній та неформальній освіті України.

Визначено, що медіа - один із чинників практичної реалізації теорії діалогу культур, а отже, виступає як важливий соціальний інститут сучасного інформаційного суспільства. Проаналізовано сучасний стан формування медіаграмотності педагогів в Україні у вимірі формальної та неформальної освіти та зазначено, що проблема медіаосвіти потребує наукового обґрунтування та пошуку способів модернізації системи професійного розвитку науково-педагогічних працівників.

Очевидним є переважання аспектів неформальної медіаосвіти, проте наявність і диференційованість медіаосвітніх програм надає педагогам значний обсяг можливостей для розвитку особистісної та професійної медіакультури. Сучасний педагог повинен стати генератором формування навичок медіаграмотності в учасників освітнього процесу. Цінність медіакомпетентності педагогів набуває нового значення задля забезпечення безперервної освіти та сталого розвитку українського суспільства.

Ключові слова: медіаосвіта, формальна освіта, неформальна освіта, медіаграмотність, медіакультура, медіаосвітні проєкти.

Abstract

The article examines the current state of development of formal and non-formal media education in the Ukrainian educational space. A comprehensive analysis of the formal and informal aspects of the media education paradigm is carried out, and the key areas of their development are identified. The formal and non-formal aspects of media education are systematized, taking into account its impact on the development of media literacy and critical thinking of participants in the educational process. The media education experience and best practices of media education activities in formal and non- formal education in Ukraine are highlighted.

It is determined that the media is one of the factors in the practical implementation of the theory of dialogue of cultures, and therefore acts as an important social institution of the modern information society. The current state of media literacy of teachers in Ukraine in the framework of formal and non-formal education is analyzed, and it is noted that the problem of media education requires scientific substantiation and the search for ways to modernize the system of professional development of scientific and pedagogical workers.

The predominance of non-formal media education is obvious, but the availability and differentiation of media education programs provides teachers with a significant amount of opportunities for the development of personal and professional media culture. A modern teacher should become a generator of media literacy skills for participants in the educational process. Therefore, the value of teachers' media competence is gaining new importance for ensuring continuous education and sustainable development of Ukrainian society.

Keywords: media education, formal education, non-formal education, media literacy, media culture, media education projects.

INTRODUCTION

The problem formulation. In the current educational context of Ukraine, there is an urgent need to carefully study and improve media education approaches. Despite the growing importance of the role of media in society, existing research is not sufficiently specific about the interaction of formal and non-formal media education in the Ukrainian educational space.

This problem is highlighted in the context of the need to introduce media education to develop media literacy skills among students, which requires a deeper understanding of the interaction between formal and informal media education initiatives. In addition, the lack of articulation and analysis of these interactions in the national context complicates the process of developing effective strategies and pedagogical approaches to media education in the Ukrainian educational system. The lack of a comprehensive study of certain aspects casts a shadow on the possibilities of optimizing media education programs and adapting them to modern society's requirements. Thus, the problem of the interaction between formal and informal media education in Ukraine requires a deeper and more systematic study to ensure the proper development of the main components of media education (media literacy, media culture, media awareness) among the educational community. media education formal

Analysis of recent research and publications. The general theoretical issues of media education were described by M. McLuhan, J. Pangente, V. Ivanov, G. Onkovych, B. Potiatynnyk. The study of the problems of media influence on society and the individual is devoted to the works of R. Hobbs, S. Livingston, N. Dukhanina, O. Petrunko, and others. The role of practical aspects of using media education technologies is the subject of research by O. Volosheniuk, L. Naidenova, O. Baryshpoletz, N. Cherepovska and others.

There are various approaches to defining the concept of "media education". For example, A. Lytvyn formulates the content of the concept of "media education" as "learning on the material and with the help of the media, the ultimate goal of which is media literacy, the ability to critically perceive media messages" (Lytvyn, 2009, 7).

Media education in the sense of scientific discourse can be defined as a system of educational strategies and methods aimed at developing media competencies in the educational process, including critical thinking, media literacy, and understanding of the media ecosystem. It includes not only the transfer of knowledge, but also the active participation of participants in the process of comprehending and using media resources in order to develop information literacy and a culture of media consumption.

According to A. Ogonovska, media education is a process of development and self-development of a personality with the help and on the material of mass communication (media) (Onkovych, 2010).

From the point of view of M. Imiridze (Imeridze, 2016), media education is a phenomenon created in the media space on the basis of the integration of education and information and communication technologies and acts as a way of comprehending media culture, which is based on a comprehensive understanding of media activities, as well as a special type of educational and creative microenvironment that ensures fruitful and adequate interaction of the individual with media culture through the formation of a set of media competencies and the creation of a hypermedia educational process.

THE AIM AND Research Tasks - analyze media education activities in Ukraine in terms of the existence of regulatory and legal support for media education and the experience of its practical implementation in formal and informal contexts.

RESEARCH METHODS: historical and logical method, method of generalization, method of analysis and synthesis, systematic method, method of structuring.

RESULTS OF THE RESEARCH

The development of media education in Ukraine is still at an early stage and is aimed at integrating media education and media literacy into the educational process. At the same time, scientific research on media education in Ukraine is being conducted on various planes and is being actively accelerated, directing its efforts towards bringing it closer to the achievements of the global scientific community.

More details on the development of media education are provided in the Concept for the Implementation of Media Education of May 20, 2010.

The development of the Concept for the Implementation of Media Education in 2010 was an important step towards its comprehensive support in Ukraine. Media education was seen as an important factor in the modernization of the education system as a whole, contributing to the construction of an information society, the development of economic knowledge and the formation of civil society.

The 2010 Concept is aimed at:

• preparing and conducting a large-scale phased nationwide experiment to introduce media education at all levels;

• prioritize the launch of school media education, which will become the main integrating link in the formation of a holistic media education system;

• providing media education in higher education, especially in the training of pedagogical specialists; taking into account the tasks of media education in the course of educational reforms and planning appropriate budget allocations;

• initiating broad public support for the media education movement, including international cooperation in this area (Koncepcija vprovadzhennja mediaosvity v Ukrajini, 2010).

During the first experimental stage in 2011 alone, various forms of school media education covered more than 250 secondary schools with more than 40,000 students. These included high school media education electives, electives, workshops, or master classes. In such media education initiatives, it was important to engage students, because they feel that media education is "about their lives today, which have already been largely virtualized and are passing in interaction with the media" (Najdjonova, 2016). Thus, the results of the experimental stage of media education implementation have shown its relevance, practical significance and motivational potential.

It is clear that objective factors required urgent changes, including a rethinking of the 2010 Concept for the Implementation of Media Education. These significant changes arose as a result of events at the international level and in the context of Ukrainian media education development.

Researcher L. Naydenova identified three groups of objective reasons that stimulated the revision and supplementation of the existing Concept:

• achievements of media education at the international level during 2010-2016

• experience of experimental implementation of media education, feedback from pedagogical practice;

• the conditions of external information aggression, media coverage of the armed conflict in the east of the country and the annexation of Crimea, the need to overcome the psychological consequences of war (Najdjonova, 2016).

For example, in 2016, a new version of the Concept for the Implementation of Media Education was approved, which defines the main stages of its implementation until 2025.

The main goal of the Concept is to promote the development of an effective media education system in Ukraine, which should become the foundation of the state's human security, development and consolidation of civil society, countering external information aggression, comprehensively prepare children and youth for safe and effective interaction with the modern media system, and to form media information literacy and media culture in citizens in accordance with their age, individual and other characteristics (Koncepcija vprovadzhennja mediaosvity v Ukrajini, 2016).

According to the Concept, the forms of media education in Ukraine include: preschool, school, extracurricular, higher education, parental, adult and media education (informal).

Let us characterize the development of formal media education, which includes preschool, school and higher education media education. It should be noted that formal media education in Ukraine is regulated by curricula approved by the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, while informal media education is spontaneous and is implemented not through government policy but through the work of enthusiasts.

In today's environment, media education is especially relevant for preschool children, who, almost from birth, are in interaction with various electronic and digital media, such as smartphones, tablets, laptops, etc.

Given the impact of media on preschool children, the main tasks facing preschool education include the following

• providing children with the skills to identify reliable and safe sources of information, as well as understanding the basics of digital security;

• promoting the creative use of media resources to develop children's attention, memory, thinking and imagination;

• teaching preschoolers the basics of media ethics and ethical norms in the media space;

• ensuring partnership between parents, educators and children in the process of implementing media education.

Today, media education is introduced into the school process mainly through two forms: as a separate school discipline

and as an integrated element in other subjects of the curriculum. There are several main forms of developing school media education, including a compulsory media literacy lesson, optional training at the request of students, integration into other subjects, media clubs, and circles. The main topics raised by teachers are the analysis of media messages, detection of manipulations, information security, and visual media culture (practical creation of own media products). Among the most urgent areas of media education development, school teachers mentioned: 1) training more teachers in media education, 2) establishing a mechanism for transferring experience, methods and practical skills from more experienced schools, 3) changing the style of methodological materials and textbooks from theoretical to more practical and applied, 4) bringing textbooks and assignments closer to the needs of students.

An interesting feature of the Ukrainian experiment is the participation not only of district and regional centers, but also of mostly small towns that lack powerful research centers, media, and libraries with extensive collections. Despite this, schools are intensively engaged in developing students' media literacy and are achieving significant results.

Media education is also a subject of interest for higher education institutions.

It is believed that there are three powerful media education centers in Ukraine: in Kyiv (Institute of Social and Political Psychology and Institute of Higher Education of the National Academy of Pedagogical Sciences of Ukraine) and in Lviv (Institute of Mass Information Ecology of Ivan Franko National University of Lviv). These media education centers pay considerable attention to the creation of teaching and learning materials, including the preparation of teaching aids, organization of scientific and practical conferences, methodological seminars, round tables, trainings, etc.

Media education was first discussed in Ukraine in 1999, when the Institute of Mass Information Ecology was established at the Ivan Franko National University of Lviv. The Institute's research activities are carried out in three areas: media philosophy (understanding the functioning and impact of mass communication); media criticism (analysis of media discourse); and media education (aimed at disseminating knowledge about the media, in particular about psychological threats associated with propaganda and falsification, pornography and screen violence) (Instytut ekologhiji masovoji informaciji: oficijnyj sajt, 2019).

Hanna Onkovych has made a significant contribution to the development of the scientific component of Ukrainian media education. The researcher is the developer of such areas of research as "media didactics" and "professionally oriented media education." In her primary program "Media Didactics of Higher Education," she emphasizes that it is time to talk not just about media education, but about professionally oriented media education. It is believed that "to provide students with knowledge of media and information literacy in such a way that they can independently develop it and use it not only on the student's bench, but also throughout their lives to maintain an appropriate level of professional competence."

The Academy of the Ukrainian Press (AUP) is extremely important in the development of formal media education in Ukraine. The curricula developed by the AUP are approved and recommended by the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine and are widely used in educational practice.

The AUP maintains a media education and media literacy portal, which can be called an interactive professional platform for communication between media educators and anyone who wants to gain knowledge and skills in media literacy. The portal contains sections for all categories of educators and media consumers.

In 2016, the AUP published the Media Literacy Road Map. Its preparation was the result of numerous discussions with various stakeholders in the process of promoting media education and media literacy in Ukraine and abroad (public institutions, government agencies, educational institutions and libraries) (Dorozhnja karta mediaosvity i mediaghramotnosti Ukrajiny, 2016).

Let's move on to analyze what we believe to be the most effective measures of non-formal Ukrainian media education: out-of-school media education, parental media education, adult media education, and media education through the media.

The implementation of media education in Ukraine "is aimed at developing ways of creative self-expression of the individual, ... is based mainly on the activities of public organizations, volunteer and commercial principles, and includes media education of parents, family media education" (Koncepcija vprovadzhennja mediaosvity v Ukrajini, 2016). L. Naydenova defines extracurricular media education as "participation in children's media festivals of various levels, competitions, classes in creative centers, specialized institutions, etc." (Najdjonova, 2013, р. 92). Extracurricular media education, in particular, provides an opportunity for media creativity - the process of "creation in the media sphere and its substantive results; interrelated processes of project activity and production of media texts" (Ivanov, & Ivanova, 2014). It means that the creation of media products and educational projects contributes to the development of media literacy.

For example, in 2016, the public organization Detector Media presented an online textbook called Media Driver. The main goal of this innovative educational project is to teach adolescents the ability to navigate the media world and critically perceive the information they receive from their native media sources (Richnyj zvit MBF «Akademija ukrajinsjkoji presy» za 2015 rik). The textbook consists of 16 thematic units with elements of gamification (for example: Photo, Video, Audio, Cinema, Knowledge in the modern world, Evolution of media, Fakes, Plagiarism and copyright, What and how to search the Internet, etc.) Each section is accompanied by a test to assess how well the user has understood the material, i.e. whether there is progress in visual achievements.

"The Media Literacy Program for Citizens (2015-2016) is one of the largest media education projects in Ukraine, which was implemented in 2015-2016. The project's goal is to increase the population's resilience to the destabilizing power of disinformation. As part of the project, 428 trainers were trained to teach media literacy to citizens (each trainer conducted information events for a group of 30 people; thus, as of March 2016, more than 15,000 Ukrainians over the age of 18 received media literacy training).

The StopFake project is engaged in verifying and refuting false information and propaganda about events in Ukraine disseminated by the media. The site also contains a hub that studies the phenomenon of "Kremlin propaganda" in all its aspects and manifestations (http://www.stopfake.org/o-nas/ closing date : 01.02.2024).

The MediaSapiens project (2014) is the only online resource in Ukraine whose main goal is to increase media literacy of the audience, help media content consumers better understand the essence of media, navigate the information space, learn to be critical of the media, distinguish between quality and truthful information, identify manipulative attempts to influence public opinion and resist them, and learn about information rights and the possibilities of using them (Richnyj zvit MBF «Akademija ukrajinsjkoji presy» za 2015 rik).

The Verify website (http://verify.org.ua) is an interactive guide to checking information from the web that helps users determine whether the information is true. The project's uniqueness lies in the fact that it does not provide a definitive answer, but rather provides tips so that users can quickly gather information and determine the authenticity of the content on their own. The website contains accessible step-by-step instructions illustrated with specific examples on how to check videos and images and how to respond to inaccurate information, how to find experts or eyewitnesses on social media, a list of fake news sites, etc.

Informal media education also includes games aimed at developing media literacy. For example, in 2014 The Academy of Ukrainian Press, together with the Institute of Innovative Technologies and Educational Content of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine and the State Library of Ukraine for Youth, developed the online game "Media Knowledge". This is the first media education game in Ukraine, and its goal is to help learn as much as possible about the information and media field.

Taking into account all of the above, it is possible to identify trends in the development of non-formal media education in Ukraine:

• development and implementation of a unified strategy for the development of extracurricular media education, which will include a media education component in the work of clubs, sections, film clubs, and school media editors, aimed not only at creating children's media content, participating in competitions, and career guidance, but also at developing critical thinking, skills in analyzing media text, and using modern information and communication technologies;

• conducting trainings, seminars, lectures for parents, meetings during parent-teacher conferences in educational institutions (work of both classroom teachers and psychologists dealing with media psychology), etc.

• developing a strategy for adult education at the state level, a system of incentives that will stimulate and motivate people to use the achievements of information and communication technologies in their daily lives and work.

• organizing film clubs that stimulate the development of media literacy based on visual culture materials.

CONCLUSIONS AND PROSPECTS OF FURTHER RESEARCH

Thus, the above suggests that Ukrainian media education is defined as a separate area of educational activity and is implemented in two ways - formal (preschool, school, and higher education) and informal (out-of-school, parental, adult media education, and media).

In particular, formal media education is regulated at the state level - there are approved programs, textbooks, manuals, and an experiment in media education is still underway, involving volunteers.

Therefore, the potential for non-formal media education in the country is very high. Today, a large number of media education projects and events are taking place, but, unfortunately, they are not systematic. In our opinion, it is important to create a unified strategy for the development of formal and non-formal media education in Ukraine, in which the state will be primarily interested and will support it at all stages of development. Prospects for further research may include the study of social phenomena that will enable participants in the educational process to analyze, thoroughly argue their vision, form personal opinions, correctly use information sources, create and analyze texts from various media platforms.

REFERENCES

1. Dorozhnja karta mediaosvity i mediaghramotnosti Ukrajiny [Roadmap for media education and media literacy in Ukraine]. (2016). URL: https://www. aup.com.ua/ml/Media_Literacy_Road_Map_AUP_2016.pdf [in Ukrainian].

2. Ivanov, V. F., & Ivanova, T V. (2014). Mediakompetentnistj ta mediaghramotnistj jak osnovni kompetentnosti suchasnogho pedaghogha [Media competence and media literacy as the main competencies of a modern teacher]. Problemy socialjnoji komunikaciji, 96-99. [in Ukrainian]. Imeridze, M. (2016). Specyfika formuvannja mediaosvitnjoji kompetentnosti majbutnikh uchyteliv suspiljno-ghumanitarnykh dyscyplin u suchasnykh vyshakh [Specificity of Formation of Media Education Competence of Future Teachers of Social Sciences and Humanities in Modern Universities]. Visnyk Chernighivsjkogho nacionaljnogho pedaghoghichnogho universytetu imeni T Gh. Shevchenka. Ser.: Pedaghoghichni nauky, 135, 263-266 [in Ukrainian].

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