International Journal of Progressive Education
ISSN (Print): 2834-7919 - ISSN (Online): 1554-5210

Research article    |    Open Access
International Journal of Progressive Education 2023, Vol. 19(5) 207-224

Nurturing Young Minds and Bodies: Exploring Critical Media Literacy Through Healthy Food Adventures

Şerife Cengiz & Tolga Kargın

pp. 207 - 224   |  DOI: https://doi.org/10.29329/ijpe.2023.603.14

Publish Date: October 16, 2023  |   Single/Total View: 139/339   |   Single/Total Download: 201/438

PDF Download

Abstract

This study aimed to help young children understand media better and develop healthy eating habits through fun and engaging activities that encourage critical thinking about media content. These activities were designed for children aged 60 to 72 months and were part of an action research project. Eleven children participated in the study, and the results showed that initially, they had limited knowledge about healthy eating and how media works. However, after taking part in the media literacy activities, they became better at analyzing media content and realized that not everything they see in advertisements is accurate. As a result, their awareness of healthy eating improved significantly. This research highlights the potential benefits of teaching media literacy to young children, which can positively influence their overall development and enhance their critical thinking skills on real-world issues.

Keywords: Early Childhood Education, Critical Media Literacy, Nutritional Awareness, Action Research

How to Cite this Article?

APA 7th edition
Cengiz, S., & Kargin, T. (2023). Nurturing Young Minds and Bodies: Exploring Critical Media Literacy Through Healthy Food Adventures. International Journal of Progressive Education, 19(5), 207-224. https://doi.org/10.29329/ijpe.2023.603.14

Harvard
Cengiz, S. and Kargin, T. (2023). Nurturing Young Minds and Bodies: Exploring Critical Media Literacy Through Healthy Food Adventures. International Journal of Progressive Education, 19(5), pp. 207-224.

Chicago 16th edition
Cengiz, Serife and Tolga Kargin (2023). "Nurturing Young Minds and Bodies: Exploring Critical Media Literacy Through Healthy Food Adventures". International Journal of Progressive Education 19 (5):207-224. https://doi.org/10.29329/ijpe.2023.603.14

References
  1. Agnoletti, M. et al. (2021) Media literacy: eMedia. Retrieved on 11.06.2023 from: https://all-digital.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Media-Literacy-Booklet-Emedia-Project-Final-ENG-1.pdf. [Google Scholar]
  2. Aktaş Arnas, Y., Taş͓, I., & Gürgah Oğul, İ. (2016). The development of brand awareness in young children: How do young children recognize brands?. International Journal of Consumer Studies, 40(5), 536-542. [Google Scholar]
  3. Asqarova, S., & Zengin, T. T. (2022). Ekran maruziyeti bulunan çocuklarda ergoterapinin duyusal etkileri. Pearson Journal of Social Sciences & Humanities, 7(19), 140-145. [Google Scholar]
  4. Baltacı, A. (2018). Nitel araştırmalarda örnekleme yöntemleri ve örnek hacmi sorunsalı üzerine kavramsal bir inceleme. Bitlis Eren Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi, 7(1), 231-274. [Google Scholar]
  5. Bar-on, M. E. (2000). The effects of television on child health: Implications and recommendations. Archives of Disease in Childhood, 83(4), 289-292. [Google Scholar]
  6. Bogdan, R. C., & Biklen, S. K. (2003). Qualitative research for education: An introduction to theory and methods (3rd ed.). Allyn&Bacon [Google Scholar]
  7. Calvert, S.L. (2008). Children as consumers: Advertising and marketing. The Future of Children, 18(1), 205-234. [Google Scholar]
  8. Chaudron, S., Beutel, M. E., Donoso Navarrete, V., Dreier, M., Fletcher-Watson, B., Heikkilä, A. S., ... & Wölfling, K. (2015). Young Children (0-8) and digital technology: A qualitative exploratory study across seven countries. Publication Office of the European Union (JRC93239). [Google Scholar]
  9. Cheung, C. H., Bedford, R., Saez De Urabain, I. R., Karmiloff-Smith, A., & Smith, T. J. (2017). Daily touchscreen use in infants and toddlers is associated with reduced sleep and delayed sleep onset. Scientific Reports, 7(1), 1-7. [Google Scholar]
  10. Çetintaş, H. B., & Turan, Z. (2018). Through the eyes of early childhood students: Television, tablet computers, Internet and smartphones. Central European Journal of Communication, 11(1), 56-70. [Google Scholar]
  11. Dardanou, M., Unstad, T., Brito, R., Dias, P., Fotakopoulou, O., Sakata, Y., & O’Connor, J. (2020). Use of touchscreen technology by 0–3-year-old children: Parents’ practices and perspectives in Norway, Portugal and Japan. Journal of Early Childhood Literacy, 20(3), 551-573. [Google Scholar]
  12. Demir, R., & Kargın, T. (2020). Çocuk YouTuberlar ve paylaştıkları videolar üzerine bir doküman analizi. Turkish Studies - Education, 15(6), 4091–4116. [Google Scholar]
  13. Elliott, C., & Brierley, M. (2012) Healthy choice? Exploring how children evaluate the healthfulness of packaged foods. Canadian Journal of Public Health, 103(6), 453–458. [Google Scholar]
  14. European Food and Nutrition Action Plan. (2015–2020). Retrieved on 11.06.2023 from: https://hsgm.saglik.gov.tr/depo/Yayinlarimiz/Eylem_Planlari/Avrupa-Gida-ve-Beslenme-Eylem-Plani-2015-2020.pdf. [Google Scholar]
  15. Evans, A. E., Dave, J., Tanner, A., Duhe, S., Condrasky, M., Wilson, D., & Evans, M. (2006). Changing the home nutrition environment: Effects of a nutrition and media literacy pilot intervention. Family and Community Health, 29(1), 43-54. [Google Scholar]
  16. Fraenkel, J. R., & Wallen, N. E. (2003). How to design and evaluate research in education (5th Ed.). Mac Graw Hill. [Google Scholar]
  17. Gökçe, A., Arslan, İ. Ülgen Öz, S., Mete, U., Taşcı, D. ve Yengil Taci, D. (2021). Yedi yaş altı çocuklarda mobil ekran maruziyeti. Ankara Eğitim ve Araştırma Hastanesi Dergisi, 54(2), 188-193. [Google Scholar]
  18. Guo, Y., Liao, M., Cai, W., Yu, X., Li, S., Ke, X. Zeng, F. (2021). Physical activity, screen exposure and sleep among students during the pandemic of COVID-19. Scientific Reports, 11(1), 8529. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-88071-4. [Google Scholar] [Crossref] 
  19. Harris, J. L., & Bargh, J. A. (2009). Television viewing and unhealthy diet: implications for children and media interventions. Health Communication, 24(7), 660-673. [Google Scholar]
  20. Heller, R., Martin-Biggers, J., Berhaupt-Glickstein, A., Quick, V., & Byrd-Bredbenner, C. (2015). Fruit-related terms and images on food packages and advertisements affect children’s perceptions of foods’ fruit content. Public Health Nutrition, 18(15), 2722-2728. [Google Scholar]
  21. Hindin, T. J., Contento, I. R., & Gussow, J. D. (2004). A media literacy nutrition education curriculum for head start parents about the effects of television advertising on their children’s food requests. Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 104(2), 192-198. [Google Scholar]
  22. Hobbs, R. (2011). Digital and media literacy. Sage Publications. [Google Scholar]
  23. Johnson, A. P. (2003). What every teacher should know about action research. Pearson Education. [Google Scholar]
  24. Kabali, H. K., Irigoyen, M. M., Nunez-Davis, R., Budacki, J. G., Mohanty, S. H., Leister, K. P., & Bonner, R. L. (2015). Exposure and use of mobile media devices by young children. Pediatrics, 136(6), 1044-1050. [Google Scholar]
  25. Kargın, T. (2022). Erken çocukluk döneminde dijital okuryazarlıklar. In D. Altun & F. Tantekin Erden (Eds.), Erken çocukluk döneminde dijital teknoloji: Uygulamalar, araştırmalar ve eğilimler (pp. 180–210). Nobel. [Google Scholar]
  26. Akademik Yayıncılık.Kejanoğlu, D.B. (2011). Türk medyasında haberin manipülasyonu ve dezenformasyon. In M.C. Şimşek & N. Türkoğlu (Eds.), Medya Okuryazarlığı (pp. 261-268). Parşömen Yayınları. [Google Scholar]
  27. Kelly, B., Halford, J. C., Boyland, E. J., Chapman, K., Bautista-Castaño, I., Berg, C., ... & Summerbell, C. (2010). Television food advertising to children: a global perspective. American Journal of Public Health, 100(9), 1730-1736. [Google Scholar]
  28. Koshy, V. (2005). Action research for improving practice. Paul Chapman Publishing. [Google Scholar]
  29. Koyuncu Şahin, M., Esen Çoban, A., & Güney Karaman, N. (2018). Okul öncesi öğretmenlerinin medyanın çocukların beslenme alışkanlıkları ve bozuklukları üzerindeki etkisine yönelik bakış açıları. İlkogretim Online, 17(1), 125-142. [Google Scholar]
  30. Kraak, V. I., Gootman, J. A., & McGinnis, J. M. (2006). Food marketing to children and youth: Threat or opportunity?. National Academies Press. [Google Scholar]
  31. Ling, L., Yelland, N., Hatzigianni, M., & Dickson-Deane, C. (2022). The use of Internet of things devices in early childhood education: A systematic review. Education and Information Technologies, 27, 6333-6352. [Google Scholar]
  32. McAlister, A. R., & Cornwell, T. B. (2010). Children's brand symbolism understanding: Links to theory of mind and executive functioning. Psychology & Marketing, 27(3), 203-228. [Google Scholar]
  33. Merriam, S. B. (2009). Qualitative research: A guide to design and implementation. John Wiley-Sons. [Google Scholar]
  34. Ministry of Health (2022). 22 Mart 2022 Dünya Obezite Günü. Retrieved on 11.06.2023 from: https://hsgm.saglik.gov.tr/tr/beslenmehareket-haberler/4-mart-2022-dunya-obezite-gunu.html. [Google Scholar]
  35. Mukherji, P., & Dryden, L. (2014). Foundations of early childhood: Principles and practice. Sage. [Google Scholar]
  36. Nobre, J. N. P., Santos, J. N., Santos, L. R., Guedes, S. C., Pereira, L., Costa, J. M., Souza Morais, R. L. (2019). Determining factors in children’s screen time in early childhood. Ciencia & Saude Coletiva 26(3), 1127-1136. [Google Scholar]
  37. Norris, S. (2013). Multimodal (inter)action analysis. In P. Albers, T. Holbrook, & A.S. Flint. (Eds), New Methods of Literacy Research (pp. 70-84). Routledge. [Google Scholar]
  38. Ofcom. (2021). Children and parents: Media use and attitudes report 2020/21. Retrieved on 11.06.2023 from: https://www.ofcom.org.uk/research-and-data/media-literacy-research/childrens/children-and-parents-media-use-and-attitudes-report-2021. [Google Scholar]
  39. Özdemir B. (2020). Televizyonda yayınlanan gıda reklamlarının çocuklara etkisi uzman görüşlerinin incelenmesi. Akademik Matbuat, 4, 17-40. [Google Scholar]
  40. Papachristou, E., & Nikolakaki, M. (2022). Necessity of implementing advertising literacy programs in preschool curricula in Debt-Ridden Greecechool curricula in Debt-Ridden Greece. European Journal of Education and Pedagogy, 3(3), 135-146. [Google Scholar]
  41. Pempek, T. A. & Calvert, S. L. (2009). Tipping the balance: Use of advergames to promote consumptionof nutritious foods and beverages by low-income African American Children. Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, 163, 633–637. [Google Scholar]
  42. Pew Research Center (2020). Parenting children in the age of screens. Retrieved on 11.06.2023 from: https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2020/07/28/childrens-engagement-with-digital-devices-screen-time/ [Google Scholar]
  43. Potter, J. (2005). Media literacy (3th ed.). Sage. [Google Scholar]
  44. Recalde, M., & Gutiérrez-García, E. (2017). Digital natives: The engagement experience to online protection. Young Consumers, 18(2), 159-179. [Google Scholar]
  45. Sahoo, K., Sahoo, B., Choudhury, A. K., Sofi, N. Y., Kumar, R., & Bhadoria, A. S. (2015). Childhood obesity: Causes and consequences. Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care, 4(2), 187-192. [Google Scholar]
  46. Seo, E. & Ma, J. (2021). Infants’ Use of Video Content and Caregivers’ Media Literacy. Korea Communication Journal, 20(3), 123-160. [Google Scholar]
  47. Šramová, B. (2014). Media literacy and marketing consumerism focused on children. Procedia- Social and Behavioral Sciences, 141, 1025-1030. [Google Scholar]
  48. Staples, A. D., Hoyniak, C., McQuillan, M. E., Molfese, V., & Bates, J. E. (2021). Screen use before bedtime: Consequences for nighttime sleep in young children. Infant Behavior and Development, 62, Article 101522. [Google Scholar]
  49. Tatlow-Golden, M., Hennessy, E., Dean, M., & Hollywood, L. (2014). Young children's food brand knowledge: Early development and associations with television viewing and parent's diet. Appetite, 80, 197-203.golden [Google Scholar]
  50. Truman, E., & Elliott, C. (2020). Health-promoting skills for children: Evaluating the influence of a media literacy and food marketing intervention. Health Education Journal, 79(4), 431–445. https://doi.org/10.1177/0017896919889647 [Google Scholar] [Crossref] 
  51. Truman, E., Daroux-Cole, L., & Elliott, C. (2022). Educating for children’s health: Lessons learned on facilitating media literacy & food marketing programming. Health Promotion Practice, 24(3), 584-587. https://doi:10.1177/15248399211072532. [Google Scholar] [Crossref] 
  52. Ural, B. & Özmaden, M. (2022). Televizyon reklamları: Çocukluklarda obezite ve besin seçimine etkileri. Sağlık Akademisyenleri Dergisi, 9(3), 294-293. [Google Scholar]
  53. Vanwesenbeeck, I., Hudders, L., & Ponnet, K. (2020). Understanding the YouTube generation: How preschoolers process television and YouTube advertising. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 23(6), 426-432. [Google Scholar]
  54. Vodopivec, J. L. (2011). Some aspects of teaching media literacy to preschool children in Slovenia from a perception standpoint of teachers and parents. Acta Didactica Napocensia, 4, 69-78. [Google Scholar]
  55. Vuksan, V., Bagaric, Z., & Lasic-Lazic, J. (2022). Croatian youth media literacy, dietary habits and healthy diet information: A pilot. Proceedings of INTED2022 Conference, 7, 8. [Google Scholar]
  56. Wartella, E. A. (2013). Medya, beslenme ve çocukluk obezitesi. P. Şengözer Şiraz (Trans.) and in H. Toker (Ed.), I. Türkiye Çocuk ve Medya Kongresi Bildiriler Kitabı (pp. 243-252). Çocuk Vakfı Yayınları. [Google Scholar]
  57. We Are Social, & Hootsuite. (2021). Digital 2021: Turkey. Retrieved on 11.06.2023 from: https://datareportal.com/reports/digital-2021-turkey [Google Scholar]
  58. Wei, M. H., & Chuang, S. Y. (2016). A study of 3C product use, behavioral performance, and learning attitude among young children of the touch-screen generation. Journal of Computer Science and Application, 8(2), 47-69. [Google Scholar]
  59. Yang, C., & Chang, C. J. (2021). Use of electronic products by Taiwanese children and their effect on children’s development: applying data from kids in Taiwan study. Bulletin of Educational Psychology, 53(2), 257-284. [Google Scholar]
  60. Yıldız Ö. E., & Eneçli C. (2013). Reklamda animasyon karakter kullanımının çocukların beslenme alışkanlıkları üzerindeki etkileri. İletişim Kuram ve Araştırma Dergisi, 36, 241-253. [Google Scholar]
Meta
Vol. 19 (5)
Download
Metric
History
Related

Volume 19 Issue 5

October 2023

All Manuscript

International Journal of Progressive Education

Copyright © 2025 International Journal of Progressive Education.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. CC BY
All elements of this website were created using the BOQ™ - Intelligent Webverse System.