Abstract:

In teaching English at universities in the Russian Federation much attention is paid to authenticity and feasibility of the content, which can be ensured by mass media texts. However, it has been noticed that students face much difficulty comprehending and discussing such material. The results of the conducted survey appeared to point out lack of media competence along with the linguistic gap to be major reasons for media texts being viewed as troublesome. The importance of media education and media literacy in teaching a foreign language gains newfound relevance due to the young generation’s susceptibility to the Internet influence and to the spread of fake and implausible information as rendering of the same events often contrasts and disagrees in news reports of different countries. The article examines the works of scientists who have had a great influence on the terminology, theory and methodology of media education.

Concerning foreign language studies, media literacy is understood as knowledge and skills of safe behavior in an alien digital media environment. The authors propose the structural components of media literacy, which include the following knowledge, skills and abilities: to search for information, to critically evaluate the content received from media, analyze it, cut off fakes; to navigate in the modern media space and identify authoritative sources; to process, systematize and interpret large amounts of information; to protect personal data. One of the purposes of media literacy in teaching a foreign language is to encourage students to creatively use the information received from media.

While researching possible ways of students’ media literacy enhancement in teaching English, it was hypothesized that certain interactive methods could increase the effectiveness of the process, such as: a problem-based discussion, a provocative lecture (a lecture with deliberate mistakes where students have to turn to media sources to get the clarification and caveat), case study and assessment. The research proved the hypothesis: the students revealed a higher level of media literacy (the number of students with high level increased from 40% to 75%) after experimental teaching involving interactive activities in studying media texts.

Keywords:

Teaching English as a foreign language, media literacy, media competence, media texts, interactive methods.