Pre-service teachers perceptions of media literacy in the department of English language teaching in Turkey

In a media-saturated society, it is becoming extremely difficult for audience, especially the young ones, to discern between positive and negative, fact and fiction, true and false, reliable and unreliable content. In such an environment, MEDIA LITERACY, the ability to critically analyse, evaluate and discern media content and its production is imperative. Through a survey of 183 degree students from Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University (ÇOMU) this paper attempts to find out media literacy perceptions of pre-service teachers attending Department of English Language Teaching based on the theories provided by the scholars in this field.The research was conducted in eight different classes, two classes in every grade level. A hundred and eighty three pre-service teachers took part in the survey consisting of four parts: Media Literacy perceptions of the students, dealing with media to improve English Language skills, benefits of Media Literacy in learning and teaching English Language, and Media Literacy levels of ELT teachers in the eyes of the pre-service teachers.The data obtained from the study results were analyzed by the researcher by means of Excel and Statistical Package for Social Sciences Program (SPSS) through the use of descriptive statistics and DUNCAN analysis.Results showed that pre-service teachers attending Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University English Language Teaching Department are eminently aware of the concepts of Media Literacy, and that their ELT teachers frequently exploit different kinds of media forms in teaching English language skills although they pay partly less attention to the concepts of ?Media Literacy? than to the use of media forms.