Development and evaluation of a new media literacy program for parents

New media literacy is an important topic of discussion with the rapid development of information and communication technologies, providing people with digital skills and providing online opportunities, as well as the risks it carries. The fact that individuals connect to the Internet with mobile devices and smartphones regardless of time and place and that they can easily access everything makes new media tools an indispensable part of our lives. Here, the growth of new generation children and young people in the rapidly changing and developing technologies turns into living spaces where they socialize and spend the majority of their time. This situation presents opportunities for them as well as risks. Parents, on the other hand, are reluctant and uneasy about this virtual world that their children are in. Although they exhibit some restrictions and protectionist approaches to protect them, they cannot be said to be successful. With this study, it is aimed to ensure that parents become new media literate who can take collaborative and democratic participatory roles with their children by producing content as active participants in the context of new media literacy. This research was conducted in order to develop a training program for parents with children at middle and high school level to acquire knowledge and skills in the context of new media literacy and to evaluate the training program developed. The research carried out in the mixed research model was conducted in the case of Ankara province. The data used in the study were evaluated in four different stages. In the first stage, a needs assessment survey tool was used with parents who have children at the middle and high school levels before starting to develop the educational program. In the analysis of the data herein, the frequency and percentage values of the answers given to each question were tabulated and the result was used in the decision process of deciding the program contents. In order to support this section, semi-structured interview method was used in the second part for interviews with experts from the fields of adult education program development, communication sciences and educational technology. The development of the training program was ensured by analyzing the data obtained here. Then, in the third stage, new data were obtained by using the media literacy skills scale before and after implementing the developed training program. In the analysis of these data, the parents participating in the New Media Literacy Training program were read with demographic characteristics, the responses to the media literacy skills scale items were examined before participating in the training, the responses to the media literacy skills scale items after participating in the training program were examined and the media literacy skills scale was made before and after training comparisons (change according to gender, change according to school type, change according to educational status, change according to attendance status, and change according to the number of devices owned). In the final stage, interviews were conducted with some parents who participated in the program about the program. As a result, the necessity of new media literacy training is revealed in order for parents to assess the opportunities and risks in new media environments together with their children and to gain a critical perspective against the situations that arise in these environments.