Abstract of

Self Concept and Adolescent Girls: The Effects of Media Literacy Training on Middle School Learners

by

Nessa Hessami

Spring 2005

California State University, Sacramento

Statement of the Problem

This study will address the question, “Will media literacy influence the self-concept of adolescent girls?” This study will address the images of females in the media (specifically print advertisements in magazines), its relationship to the self-awareness of adolescent girls and how media literacy can help girls become critical viewers of the media and its representations of females.

Sources of Data

Two sources were analyzed: pre and post surveys and interviews with the participants. The methodology employed for this study involved a pre/post survey design. Sixteen research participants were administered a pre survey before exposure to media literacy. The media literacy curriculum was designed to help adolescent girls become more critical thinkers with respect to advertising and its implications. Following the treatment, the research participants were re-administered the survey. Data collected from the pre and post surveys were entered into the SPSS statistical software program. Paired samples t-tests were computed comparing research subject responses on the pre survey with their responses on the post survey.

Conclusions Reached

Media literacy can be an effective classroom tool to teach adolescents about gender equity, stereotypes and what it means to be female in a media-saturated world. Despite the overall lack of statistical significance, several trends indicated that minority girls found more satisfaction with themselves and their body image after exposure to media literacy, while Caucasian participants’ views on body image remained the same. As a result, participants also questioned why media education is not emphasized and integrated into their curriculum.