Game Creation in Youth Media and Information Literacy Education

Abstract

This proposal presents the preliminary findings of GamiLearning (2015-2018), a research project that aims to promote critical and participative dimensions of Media and Information Literacy (MIL) in children through the creation of digital games. The project presents an innovative approach by arguing that MIL can be promoted through the process of creation and development of videogames. Students aged 9 to 14 years old from Portugal and Austin, Texas (USA), participated in the study that included an intervention at schools, based on a constructivist/project-based approach. Fieldwork was conducted in four schools and a MIL questionnaire, based in a theoretical framework, were administered before and after the project’s intervention. Results from the four schools indicate statistically significant differences between pre and post questionnaires, considering MIL skills in general, and in several groups of skills, namely Operational Skills, Editorial Skills, Digital Identity Management Skills, Critical Media Literacy, Learning and Social Interaction.