MAPPING OUT THE DIFFERENCES IN MEDIA VIEWING HABITS OF PRIMARY SCHOOL STUDENTS WHO TOOK MEDIA LITERACY COURSES AND WHO DIDN'T

Media literacy is defined in its outline as the ability to access, analyze, evaluate and transmit media messages of diverse forms. as the concept of media literacy began as a scholarly debate, it resulted in the rtük (high council for broadcasting) taking the issue in its agenda from the 2000’s. a joint project was developed by the rtük and the ministry of education to endorse media literacy as an elective course in primary education. the media literacy course has been integrated into the turkish curriculum as an elective course in the educational year 2007-2008 for the 6th, 7th and 8th classes. this research aims to analyze the differences in media viewing habits of primary school students who took media literacy courses and who didn’t, on the sample of kayseri. the results of the study will be significant to adequately assess to what extend the objectives and results of media literacy program are taken into consideration and adopted as an integral part of daily practice, as well as establishing a basis to this assessment in relation to the subject and scope of content. the research has been applied at certain time and places and comparatively on 1194 students who were given media literacy courses and on 1087 students not given any courses, all of whom attending 6th, 7th and 8th classes of primary schools within kayseri kocasinan and melikgazi central districts. the outcomes of the study show that the students who took media literacy classes do not view mass media outlets consciously, also the case for the students who didn’t take relevant courses, and that there has been no considerable difference between those two groups.