Role of New Media Literacy in Developing Competences for Democratic Culture among University Teachers in Lahore
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.58932/MULA0072Keywords:
New Media Literacy, Competences for Democratic Culture, University Teachers, Purposive Sampling, Survey MethodAbstract
The age of digitized information and communication crucially requires understanding the role of new media literacy in the development of competencies for democratic culture within the academic landscape. The study investigates the role of new media literacy in empowering university teachers to serve as not merely knowledge transmitters but also the torchbearers for democratic citizenship among students in Lahore. The existing literature exhibits a notable gap in focusing on the educators’ role in promoting democratic culture within higher education. Utilizing the theoretical lens of the new media literacy (NML) framework, the study adopts a quantitative approach, conducting a structured survey from a sample of 267 full-time university teachers belonging to media studies and political science departments of various public and private institutions of Lahore. Employing the purposive sampling technique, the study adopts the validated scales for new media literacy (NML) and competences for democratic culture (CDC), derived from the Council of Europe’s reference framework. The findings suggest that new media literacy significantly contributes to developing critical perception, political understanding, tolerance, mutual respect, communication skills, emotional intelligence, and intercultural awareness as competencies for democratic culture among university teachers. It offers valuable insights for higher education institutes, curriculum developers, policymakers, and academicians to integrate new media literacy into university-level teacher training programs, initiating critical thinking, intercultural understanding, digital citizenship, and participatory communication.
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