Научная статья на тему 'COMPETENCES IN DIGITAL ONLINE MEDIA LITERACY: TOWARDS CONVERGENCE WITH EMERGENCY REMOTE EFL LEARNING'

COMPETENCES IN DIGITAL ONLINE MEDIA LITERACY: TOWARDS CONVERGENCE WITH EMERGENCY REMOTE EFL LEARNING Текст научной статьи по специальности «СМИ (медиа) и массовые коммуникации»

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Ключевые слова
MEDIA LITERACY / ONLINE DIGITAL MEDIA / EFL STUDENTS / MEDIA ACCESS / MEDIA PRODUCTION

Аннотация научной статьи по СМИ (медиа) и массовым коммуникациям, автор научной работы — Hazaea Abduljalil Nasr, Alqahtani Abdullah Ayidh J.

With the emergency shift to remote learning due to the spread of COVID-19 and the advent of communication technology, developing digital online media literacy (DOML) has become necessary for Saudi English as foreign language (EFL) students. Media literacy empowers EFL students to access, analyze, evaluate, and produce digital online media texts. The preparatory year (PY) is a bridging year that links school outcomes to university demands. This study examines the competences in DOML among students in PY at Saudi University. It also examines whether any differences can be attributed to gender. To accomplish this, a four-dimensional survey of 36 items was adapted from T. Hallaq’s (Hallaq, 2016) to serve EFL context. The simple sample consisted of 170 respondents (85 males and 85 females). The results showed that the respondents are competent in DOML (m=3.73), and that there were no statistical differences between females and males. This result indicates that the respondents are ready for the emergency remote learning. Both males and females are subject to the same homogeneous educational system. The paper concludes with some pedagogical implications for emergency remote EFL learning.

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Текст научной работы на тему «COMPETENCES IN DIGITAL ONLINE MEDIA LITERACY: TOWARDS CONVERGENCE WITH EMERGENCY REMOTE EFL LEARNING»

Copyright © 2020 by Academic Publishing House Researcher s.r.o.

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Published in the Slovak Republic

International Journal of Media and Information Literacy Has been issued since 2016. E-ISSN: 2500-106X 2020, 5(2): 164-175

DOI: 10.13187/ijmil.2020.2.164 www. ej ournal4 6.com

Competences in Digital Online Media Literacy: Towards Convergence with Emergency Remote EFL Learning

Abduljalil Nasr Hazaea a , *, Abdullah Ayidh J. Alqahtani b

a Najran University, Najran, Saudi Arabia b The University of Mississippi, Oxford, MS, USA

Abstract

With the emergency shift to remote learning due to the spread of COVID-19 and the advent of communication technology, developing digital online media literacy (DOML) has become necessary for Saudi English as foreign language (EFL) students. Media literacy empowers EFL students to access, analyze, evaluate, and produce digital online media texts. The preparatory year (PY) is a bridging year that links school outcomes to university demands. This study examines the competences in DOML among students in PY at Saudi University. It also examines whether any differences can be attributed to gender. To accomplish this, a four-dimensional survey of 36 items was adapted from T. Hallaq's (Hallaq, 2016) to serve EFL context. The simple sample consisted of 170 respondents (85 males and 85 females). The results showed that the respondents are competent in DOML (m=3.73), and that there were no statistical differences between females and males. This result indicates that the respondents are ready for the emergency remote learning. Both males and females are subject to the same homogeneous educational system. The paper concludes with some pedagogical implications for emergency remote EFL learning.

Keywords: media literacy, online digital media, EFL students, media access, media production

1. Introduction

English-language teachers are interested in students' use of online media for language learning (Dashtestani, Hojatpanah, 2020; Khlyzova, 2019; Murray et al. 2020). However, educationalists are suspicious about the effects of the ideological choices in media messages on students. In fact, the Internet plays a vital role as an open resource for life-long learning. Students and teachers alike spend a significant amount of time on the Internet, which is a new phenomenon in human history (Akcayoglu, Daggol, 2019). Young students have become native digital users. The advent of communication technology extended the notion of literacy to the deconstruction and reconstruction of media messages. Accordingly, students need to have media multiliteracy, including the literacy necessary to access the Internet, awareness literacy, evaluation literacy, and literacy to produce media messages. These various forms of multiliteracy bring the issue of media literacy to the fore.

Media literacy is considered to be a tool for empowerment in educational settings. It emphasizes that young people should be competent, flexible, and dynamic in their choices, not

* Corresponding author

E-mail addresses: agaleel@gmail.com (A. Hazaea)

only as media consumers, but also as creative producers of media (Akcayoglu, Daggol, 2019). With the advent of emergency remote learning due to the spread of COVID-19, developing DOML has become essential for Saudi EFL students. Media literacy has been introduced into the gender-segregated Saudi education system. However, there are stringent calls to enhance media literacy in higher education. Researchers have indicated that EFL students suffer from digital online media illiteracy. Although EFL students have open Internet access to the rest of the world, they need to be aware of media messages. They need not only to analyze media messages, but also to produce media texts, primarily on social media networks.

DOML can be incorporated into teaching and language-learning skills. In general, the English language is the most efficient tool for accessing media texts. As receptive skills, reading and listening coincide with evaluating media texts. On the other hand, speaking and writing, as productive skills, coincide with producing media texts. Functional grammar overlaps with the language skills for analyzing media texts. N. Khlyzova (Khlyzova, 2019) studied media literacy among Russian EFL students and concluded with the significance of media literacy to enhance EFL communicative competence. R. Dashtestani, S. Hojatpanah (Dashtestani, Hojatpanah, 2020) found low to moderate level in digital literacy among Iranian EFL school students. S. Alaleeli, A. Alnajjar (Alaleeli, Alnajjar, 2020) found that the Arab students had a lower frequency of engagement with digital devices. T. Ko-Wai (Ko-Wai, 2018) assessed the internet-based information literacy skills of undergraduate freshmen in Hong Kong.

Some studies have problematized the segregated education of Saudi females. R. Adham, et al. (Adham, et al., 2016) stated that gender segregation deprived Saudi females of online learning. R. Baki (Baki, 2004) emphasized females' limited access to work, and highlighted the need to re-evaluate the education system. Binsahl et al. (Binsahl et al., 2020) found that female Saudi students who pursued higher education in western countries lacked online search skills and language fluency. S. Aldayel (Aldayel, 2020) reported on some Saudi sociocultural factors that prevented the use of technology by female students.

Media literacy is an important area for interdisciplinary research. While the term media is associated with media studies, literacy is associated with educational studies. Language connects these two areas. Moreover, technology has changed traditional mediums into digital forms, and the Internet has transformed face-to-face interaction into online interaction. Therefore, DOML reflects a contemporary shift from the protection to the preparation of students (Schilder, 2013) to deconstruct and reconstruct digital online media messages due to changing views of technology, of the media, of young people, and of teaching and learning (Buckingham, 2002). Media has been expanded from being a one-way tool (as in traditional media) to two-way communication (such as the Internet and social media networks). The media is no longer a simple tool for distributing educational content, as media education is about the ideological choices of media. Students spend much more time on media outlets than they do at school or with their parents. Traditional learning has shifted to student-centered e-learning. These changes emphasize the need for educationalists to empower students via DOML.

DOML involves different yet crucial competencies. Various researchers have identified five (Hobbs, 2010), four (ABEGS, 2013; Calvani et al., 2008), or three (Buckingham, 2005; Celot, 2009; UNESCO, 2013) competencies involved in media literacy. For example, UNESCO (UNESCO, 2013) discussed three competencies necessary for DOML, namely access, evaluation, and creation. These competencies are divided into twelve sub-competences, which are manifested in the form of 113 key performance indicators (KPIs) distributed over three levels. Similarly, the European Commission identified the three primary competencies of use, critical understanding, and communication. These competencies are divided into nine sub-competencies with thirty-six KPIs (Celot, 2009).

The Arab Bureau of Education for the Gulf States (ABEGS, 2013) has paid attention to DOML. It introduced a media literacy program for school education in the Gulf States, including Saudi Arabia. The program initiated many portfolios, such as a conceptual framework, educational media principals, a curriculum, competencies, and a teachers' training portfolio. ABEGS covers four competencies: access to media, comprehension and critical thinking, media evaluation, and creative production. These competencies are further divided into 68 sub-competencies and 384 KPIs distributed over four levels in the school education system. Elementary schools incorporate levels one and two, and intermediate and high schools involve

levels three and four. These competencies are distributed across different subjects, such as languages and computer science.

This study operationalized media literacy as EFL students' ability to access, analyze, evaluate, and produce English-language online media texts. Media access involves EFL students' ability to solve technical problems, connect their digital devices, surf the Internet in general and online English-language texts in particular, access various cultures, and adapt to changes in English-language teaching and online learning technology. Media awareness includes EFL students' ability to identify the purposes of implied messages, intercultural topics, and representations transmitted in online English-language mass media. Media evaluation involves EFL students' ability to determine and analyze biases, creditability, quality, legality and ethicality of intercultural messages disseminated via online English-language mass media. Media production is manifested in the EFL students' ability to participate actively in online English-language mass media by writing, chatting, creating content, uploading and sharing information.

Several approaches have been used to measure DOML. G. Ptaszek (Ptaszek, 2020) identified three different types of measurements for competencies in DOML. The first, occasional assessment, measures knowledge, skills, and attitudes separately. The second, selected measurement, explores the perception of bias or perceived realism. The third, holistic measurement, links the outcomes of DOML to specific media such as social media networks. M. Bulger (Bulger, 2012) used testing and refined criteria for European students. D. Akcayoglu, G. Daggol (Akcayoglu, Daggol, 2019) employed a mixed-method research design to measure media literacy levels among Turkish EFL students in PY. They used a five-scale Likert questionnaire for the quantitative analysis and open questions for the qualitative analysis. T. Hallaq (Hallaq, 2016) designed a digital media literacy assessment scale for five competences, namely media awareness, media access, ethical awareness, media evaluation, and media production. Four competences in this questionnaire coincide with the four competences recommended by the ABEGS. Media awareness and ethical awareness are included under the single category of media awareness.

In Saudi Arabia, the root of media literacy can be traced to the first international conference on media literacy held in Riyadh in 2007. The conference recommended introducing media literacy into the Saudi education system, and suggested a course on media literacy for university students. It also recommended strategies and programs on media literacy in line with national Saudi ethics and values. The conference also recommended that authorities should encourage initiatives for media literacy. This aspect would benefit from having had international experiences.

To date, no study has examined the status quo of media literacy competences in the Saudi EFL context. However, a few studies have investigated elements of media literacy, such as access to information for blind Saudi students (AlOshan, 2013). A. Albawardi (Albawardi, 2017) found that social media encouraged female Saudi's interaction through new media outlets for entertainment, the sharing of information, and allowing them to communicate with others. N. Bin Dahmash (Bin Dahmash, 2019) found that female Saudi undergraduate students used social media outlets to protect their identities and feelings expressed in English. R. Kabooha (Kabooha, 2016) examined the attitudes of female Saudi EFL students regarding the incorporation of English movies in their language classes in PY. It was found that students had positive attitudes toward the use of movies for language learning.

Other studies have scrutinized the use of and attitudes toward media among male Saudi students. A. Altawil (Altawil, 2019) studied male Saudi high-school students' use of digital media for enhancing the intentional and informal learning of EFL. The results showed that the respondents were highly engaged with digital media and used it for language learning. M. Kadwa (Kadwa, 2012) found positive attitudes toward online communication among male Saudi EFL students in preparatory programs. A. Hazaea, A. Alzubi (Hazaea, Alzubi, 2017) investigated critical reading skills among male students in PY at Saudi University, and recommended further research on multimodal media texts used by Saudi EFL students.

In fact, DOML has become a pressing need as a twenty-first century soft skill for undergraduate students. This need has become even more urgent as a result of emergency remote teaching and learning due to the outbreak of COVID-19. Thus, there is a need to assess competencies in DOML among PY students who have completed their schooling.

PY is a bridge that links school outcomes to university demands. This study aimed to measure the competences in DOML among PY students at Saudi University. The research objectives were as follows:

1) To measure the competences in DOML among EFL students enrolling in PY.

2) To examine the differences in DOML between female and male students.

Accordingly, the study posed the following research questions:

1) What is the extent of competences in DOML among EFL students in PY?

2) Can any differences in DOML be attributed to gender?

2. Materials and methods

This study employed a quasi-experimental design in which the data were collected from PY students at Saudi University through simple sampling. Quantitative data were collected, after taking the proper consent, via a questionnaire (see the appendix) adapted from T. Hallaq's (Hallaq, 2016) study. To facilitate the data collection, an Arabic translation was provided along with the English version before the online questionnaire was distributed via Google Forms to male and female students in PY at Saudi University.

In many Saudi universities, PY is compulsory for new students who plan to enroll in some competitive undergraduate programs. At a Saudi University, PY consists of two semesters and two levels. Students are enrolled each semester in September and in January. However, the number of regular EFL students in January is less than is that in September. In January 2020, there were approximately 400 regular students in level one (197 males and 204 females). These students had similar characteristics, including age, and linguistic and cultural backgrounds. This study's questionnaire targeted these regular male and female students.

This article adapted a questionnaire from T. Hallaq's (Hallaq, 2016) work. The questionnaire was validated and considered reliable by three experts, including T. Hallaq himself. The questionnaire consisted of two parts. The first part sought demographic information about the respondents (gender and age). It also collected information about the time at which the respondents preferred to access the Internet, their preferences in terms of data type, and preferred social media networks.

The second part aimed to measure the competences in DOML among EFL students across four dimensions of media literacy, namely access, awareness, evaluation, and production; these competencies coincide with those that were recommended by the ABEGS. The focus was on intercultural interaction. This section also used a five-Likert scale that ranged from 'strongly agree' to 'strongly disagree.' To obtain accurate data when using Google Forms, one statement was added to the questionnaire. This statement was: "For this statement, select neutral" (see the appendix). The idea behind this statement was to ensure that students paid attention to the items on the questionnaire while responding. In other words, any response that did not select 'neutral' for this statement was deleted before the data analysis. As 196 students responded to the questionnaire, this indicates that 49 % of the targeted population responded to the questionnaire.

The collected data were analyzed using SPSS 20 software. To answer the first research question, the analysis concerned four categories of the items in the questionnaire (media access, media awareness, media evaluation, and media production). To answer the second research question, a paired-sample t-test and a one-way ANOVA were used to compare the means and standard deviations between males and females.

3. Discussion

This study aimed to identify the Saudi PY program students' competences in media literacy, and to determine whether any differences could be attributed to gender. Media literacy was operationalized in the form of the four competences of media access, media awareness, media evaluation, and media production. In other words, media literacy involves the students' ability to deconstruct and reconstruct the ideological messages in the media.

The analysis showed that media has become a powerful and flexible tool that is increasingly encouraging students to learn a language. About half of the respondents preferred to learn English online in the evenings. This result can be attributed to the effect of quarantine because of COVID-19 during the period in which the data were collected. Students stayed at home during quarantine and used online media as an alternative platform for learning a language. Twenty-four

percent of the respondents preferred videos for language learning. This result indicates that online learning would be beneficial for language learning especially listening and speaking skills, as students could benefit from video recordings. Similarly, about twenty percent of the respondents preferred multimedia texts, and twenty six percent preferred YouTube for learning the English language. Instagram and Twitter are used widely in Saudi Arabia and have the potential to be used for language learning. These results coincide with previous findings. For example, U. Abdullah, I. Rahman (Abdullah, Rahman, 2017) and T. Bahrani (Bahrani, 2015) reported that watching movies could improve learners' listening skills. This increased use of media for language learning brings the issue of students' ability to access, analyze, evaluate, and reproduce media messages to the fore.

The respondents reported high levels of access to online English-language mass media (m = 3.8). This finding suggests that the respondents were able to remedy technical problems, connect their digital devices, and access online English-language classes. This finding coincides with previous research. A. Altawil (Altawil, 2019) found that Saudi students engaged with digital media content to improve their language in intentional and in informal settings. Students viewed the Internet as a universal library (Aydin, 2007), and as a platform to socialize and learn (Almarabeh et al., 2016). K. Ayyad (Ayyad, 2011) also reported that the Internet and the new media had a much more powerful effect on students than did traditional media. Although A. Al Khateeb (Al Khateeb, 2017) found that Saudi EFL teachers were not digitally competent, their students seemed to be competent in this regard. However, this finding is not in agreement with M. AlOshan (AlOshan, 2013), who found that poor access to online media excluded blind Saudi students to a significant degree. This finding is attributed to the nature of the respondents in that study who are in special need.

With regard to other media competences, the respondents reported similar levels (3.7) for media awareness and media production, and 3.6 for media evaluation. These findings coincide with T. Koltay (Koltay, 2011), who suggested that more attention should be paid to elaborate between media awareness and media production. T. Almarabeh et al. (Almarabeh et al., 2016) also found that students mainly used the Internet to access social websites, for chatting, and for gathering information. L. Lim, Y. Theng (Lim, Theng, 2011) found that Singapore secondary school students were aware of and confident about media consumption, but they lacked skills in media production. S. Pereira, P. Moura (Pereira, Moura, 2019) described basic knowledge of media access and use among Portuguese students. This discussion shows that Saudi students are not lagging behind in terms of media literacy level.

On the contrary, the findings of the present study do not coincide with other studies. For example, L. Murray et al. (Murray et al., 2020) found that EFL learners were unaware about the distractive nature of technology and its effect on language learning. R. Dashtestani, S. Hojatpanah (Dashtestani, Hojatpanah, 2020) found low to moderate level in digital literacy among Iranian EFL school students. S. Alaleeli, A. Alnajjar (Alaleeli, Alnajjar, 2020) found that the Arab students had a lower frequency of engagement with digital devices. T. Ko-Wai (Ko-Wai, 2018) indicated that the EFL students in Hong Kong have difficulties in identifying, locating, evaluating and synthesizing internet information. N. Khlyzova (Khlyzova, 2019) reported lack of activities to construct media knowledge, abilities and attitudes among Russian EFL students.

With regard to the demographic variable of gender, males and females did not differ in their competences in media literacy. This finding coincides with previous research. M. Kadwa's (Kadwa, 2012) study showed that male PY Saudi EFL students had a positive attitude toward online communication, while female Saudi EFL students and teachers had a positive attitude toward the use of movies in English classes (Kabooha, 2016). S. Aldayel (Aldayel, 2020) found that online learning helped female Saudi students to overcome the shyness they experienced in traditional classrooms. S. Binyamin et al.'s (Binyamin et al., 2020) findings revealed that gender had very little effect on the use of e-learning tools in Saudi public universities.

However, the present findings are not in line with some other findings. H. Binsahl et al. (Binsahl et al., 2020) claimed that female Saudi international students lacked online search skills, while S. Aldayel (Aldayel, 2020) argued that some sociocultural attitudes minimized the use of technology among female Saudi students. Similarly, R. Adham et al. (Adham et al., 2016) reported that the segregated educational system prevented female Saudi students from benefiting from online learning, and they decreased their opportunities to access work. This view was also

held by R. Baki (Baki, 2004). Y. Alhareth et al. (Alhareth et al., 2015) reported that gender and living circumstances had a distinctly negative effect on students' access to and use of mass media and the Internet. K. Ayyad (Ayyad, 2011) reported that students' genders had an obvious effect on the use of mass media and the Internet. S. Park, S. Burford (Park, Burford, 2013) found that females tended to have lower levels of digital media literacy, while H. Binsahl et al. (Binsahl et al., 2020) reported imperfect online search skills among female Saudi international students.

4. Results

One hundred and ninety-six students responded to the questionnaire. Twenty-six responses were deleted before the analysis because the participants had not responded correctly to the neutral statement. One hundred and seventy responses (85 males and 85 females) were analyzed. The Alpha analysis was 0.82, which indicates that the questionnaire was reliable in terms of internal consistency.

The analysis of the first part of the questionnaire showed that the participants ranged in age from 17 to 22 years of age. The data analysis showed that 44.82 % of the respondents were interested in learning English via online mass media in the evening, while 31.04 % preferred mornings, and 24.14 % indicated that afternoons were most suitable for them. The data analysis also showed that 23.95 % of the respondents were interested in video data. Other types of data (multimedia, pictures, sounds, and texts) had similar levels of interest at 19.73 %, 19.51 %, 18.63 %, and 18.18 %, respectively. With regard to the respondents' preferences for social media networks, 25.92 % were interested in using YouTube to learn English. Preferences for Instagram and Twitter were found to be similar, as 14.91 % and 13.30 % of respondents, respectively, learnt English via these platforms. WhatsApp was considered an exciting platform on which the respondents could learn English (11.93 %). Telegram and Snapchat were reported to have the same preference (10.55 %). Blogs and Facebook were least preferred by the respondents, with 3.90 % and 0.46 %, respectively.

A data analysis was then conducted based on the four types of competences of the questionnaire to achieve the first research objective, which was to measure the competences in DOML among EFL students in PY at Saudi University. Table 1 shows the results of the one-sample (t-test) for DOML among the respondents (n = 170).

Table 1. Competences in DOML among EFL Students

DOML Mean Std. Deviation Theoretical mean t-test value Sig. (2-tailed)

Access to digital and online English-language mass media 3.8046 0.61794 3 80.276 0.000

Awareness of online English-language mass media 3-7144 0.67913 3 71.311 0.000

Evaluation of online English-language mass media 3.6346 0.72296 3 65.550 0.000

Production on online English-language mass media 3.7856 0.79129 3 62.377 0.000

DOML 3.734804 0.566832 3 85.9088 0.000

Table 1 shows the theoretical mean, the reported means, and the standard deviations for the four competences of media literacy. The theoretical mean was standardized based on the target level/ criterion for success in PY; students pass a course once they have obtained at least 60 % in a course assessment (3 out of 5). The analysis showed that the means for the level of DOML among the respondents ranged from 3.80 to 3.63. The overall mean for the level of DOML was 3.73. When comparing this mean to the theoretical mean (m=3) using the one-sample t-test, it becomes clear that the overall mean, as well as the four competences in media literacy, were higher than the theoretical mean. The t-test values for media access, media awareness, media evaluation, and media production were 80.27, 71.31, 65.55, and 62.37, respectively. These values

had a high statistical significance at Sig =0.000. These results indicate that the competences in DOML among the respondents were high.

A data analysis was then conducted to address the second research question. The null hypothesis posited that there would be no difference between the mean average of the respondents' answers and the demographic variable (gender). To examine the validity of the hypothesis, two essential steps were conducted. The means and standard deviations were calculated first (Table 2).

Table 2. Means and Standard Deviations

Gender N Access to digital and online English-language mass media Awareness about online English-language mass media Evaluation of online English-language mass media Production on online English-language mass media Level DOML among EFL students at Saudi University PY

Mean S.D Mean S.D Mean S.D Mean S.D Mean S.D

M 85 3-8013 0.6519 3.7124 0.7321 3.6654 0.6932 3.7712 0.9003 3.7376 0.623

F 85 3.8078 0.5858 3.7163 0.6261 3.6039 0.7545 3.8000 0.6699 3.732 0.503

The validity of the hypothesis was examined after measuring the variation in homogeneity by analyzing the 36 items of the four competences in DOML. The variation in homogeneity was determined using a one-way ANOVA to measure the mean differences of each item and competency in the questionnaire based on gender. Table 3 shows the gender differences for each competency in DOML.

Table 3. One-way ANOVA analysis for the means of items pertaining to the four competences in DOML based on gender

DOML Sum of Squares Df Mean Square F Sig.

Access to digital and online English-language mass media Between Groups 0.002 1 0.002 0.005 0.945

Within Groups 64.530 168 0.384

Total 64.532 169

Awareness of online English-language mass media Between Groups 0.001 1 0.001 0.001 0.970

Within Groups 77.946 168 0.464

Total 77.946 169

Evaluation of online English-language mass media Between Groups 0.160 1 0.160 0.306 0.581

Within Groups 88.171 168 0.525

Total 88.332 169

Production of online English-language mass media Between Groups 0.035 1 0.035 0.056 0.814

Within Groups 105.782 168 0.630

Total 105.817 169

Competences in DOML among EFL students at Saudi University in PY Between Groups 0.001 1 0.001 0.004 0.949

Within Groups 54.298 168 0.323

Total 54.299 169

Table 3 shows that there were no statistical differences among the means of the items in the questionnaire for each competency in DOML based on gender. The significance values for media access, media awareness, media evaluation, and media production were 0.945, 0.970, 0.581, and 0.814, respectively. These values were higher than the significance level (0.05) based on which the test was conducted. These results indicate that there no statistical differences could be attributed to gender. The results could be because both males and females are exposed to the same Saudi education system. In other words, these respondents represented a homogenous society and a unified educational system despite gender segregation.

5. Conclusion

The present study explored the competences in DOML among EFL students in PY at Saudi University in Saudi Arabia. It also examined whether any differences in media literacy could be attributed to gender. The participants in this study reported that the online new media has become an important open library for EFL students. These students were aware of the messages disseminated via online English-language mass media, and they stated that they could produce media messages via online English-language mass media. Therefore, millennials desire to immerse themselves in the digitalized community in order to be part of today's media-literate society. Males and females had similar levels of media literacy. The results show that Saudi students do not lag behind in terms of twenty-first century DOML. Instead, they reported balanced competences in media access, media awareness, media evaluation and media production.

The paper concludes with some pedagogical implications for emergency remote EFL learning. Saudi EFL millennials show their competencies in DOML. Now, it is the university's role to enhance these competences through creative media literacy that meets students' learning demands at university level. In their remote classes, for instance, EFL students can deconstruct and reconstruct media messages on worldwide timely issues (such as misinformation about COVID-19). Although this paper reported balanced competences among the respondents, other EFL contexts may reveal lack in media access, media awareness, media evaluation or media production.

Language teachers and action researchers can adopt this survey as a guideline for more in-depth investigation for each competency. For example, media awareness can be introduced into an EFL reading remote class where students are expected to critically read timely and controversial online issues. Similarly, media production can be enhanced in an EFL writing remote class. Students can be encouraged to share their writings, recordings, and videos in various media outlets such as the social media.

This study has some limitations. The first is that it only used a survey to collect data. The respondents may report hyperbole representation about their competences in DOML. Other tools, such as semi-structured interviews and observations, could be used to provide more qualitative evidence. Students' competences in DOML can also be evaluated via the analysis of media texts and tests. The second limitation is that the present study focused only on online English-language media messages with specific attention to the intercultural dimension of media communication. Media is a general, ill-defined term that involves other dimensions, including the economy, politics, and advertising. Further research could extend the scope to include these dimensions. The competences in DOML among faculty members is another potential area for further investigation.

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Appendix (Survey)

Demographic Information Gender Male Female Age: 17-19 20-22 23-25

Choose your suitable time(s) to learn English language through online mass media (you can indicate if more than one) In the morning

In the afternoon In the evening

Choose the data type(s) that you use to learn English (you can indicate if more than one)

Texts

Sounds

Pictures

Videos

Multimedia

Choose social media network(s) that you use to learn English language (you can indicate if more than one) Email Blogs Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Youtube Telegram Instagram Snapchat Scale: Five scale

Strongly agree agree neutraldisagree strongly disagree

Access to digital and online English language mass media I am able to...

1. encounter technical problems by using more than one device (computer, smartphone, tablet or iPad) at the same time.

2. connect my digital devices using wired and/or wireless internet.

3. surf the Internet through a variety of internet browsers (Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft Internet Explorer, Microsoft Edge).

4. access an online English language class.

5. log in to several English language social media sites.

6. use the Internet to access English language mass media of various cultures.

7. determine English language media channels appropriate for me..

8. adapt to changes in English language teaching and online learning technology.

9. block contact from specific individuals or specific content on my social network

sites.

Awareness about online English language mass media I am able to...

1. identify the implied messages transmitted in online English language mass media.

2. identify intercultural topics such as climate change and global citizenship in online English language mass media.

3. identify the political, economic, cultural and social priorities of online English language mass media.

4. identify for what purposes the media messages were formed (such as volunteer work and health awareness etc.)

5. For this statement, mark the "neutral" checkbox.

6. identify the positive and negative sides of cultural representations in online English language mass media.

7. represent my culture positively in online English language mass media.

8. learn new things about other cultures from online activities (i.e. surfing the Internet, playing online games, participating in online communities or forums, etc.).

9. use the Internet to improve my English language skills.

10. decide on my own whether the messages in online English language mass media are correct or incorrect.

Evaluation of online English language mass media I am able to...

1. determine whether online English language mass media perform biased reporting.

2. examine the credibility of cultural content in online English language mass media.

3. examine the quality of students' interaction in an online English language class discussion.

4. critique the messages introduced in online English language mass media.

5. analyze the intercultural messages in online English language mass media.

6. analyze how online English language mass media influence individuals.

7. protect my culture against the negative representations in online English language mass media.

8. react appropriately to the intercultural messages in online English language mass media.

9. examine whether media representations comply with my country's legal and ethical

rules.

Production on online English language mass media

I am able to...

1. write sentences or paragraphs in English language to a web forum.

2. chat with my English language teacher during virtual classes.

3. positively promote my country's culture through blogs, online forums, or other social media formats.

4. create my own online English language mass media projects such as blogs and videos.

5. upload online English language mass media projects to YouTube or other similar sites to represent my country positively.

6. upload my online English language assignments, quizzes or tests on Blackboard.

7. share with my friends my personal online English language media projects through social media.

8. share English language documents through online applications such as Google Drive, One Drive or others.

9. participate with multicultural students through English language e-learning.

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