Media training for future education professionals: A study of the Spanish Context

Abstract

This article presents the results of research aimed at finding out how training in media education is being developing in Spanish Universities. From a methodological perspective, this work is part of what can be considered a mixed research paradigm. In the first phase, the content of 179 study guides from 83 Spanish universities was analysed using a thematic coding system to analyse the data. In the second phase, 13 in-depth interviews were conducted with university teachers in charge of teaching subjects related to media education in order to understand how they were developing these experiences (methodologies used, systems of assessment, etc.). The results show that the presence of dimensions of media education in curricula is unequal and that teachers are using a wide range of teaching methods and evaluation tools. This study suggests that the education authorities and university teachers should rethink training for future teachers and include contents that facilitate understanding the functioning of the media as a way of accessing diverse cultural representations.