English abstract
This study aims to measure the level of media literacy among
sultan Qaboos University, based on measuring their level of
conscious / automatic thinking, their ability to control information, and
determining their level of knowledge about based on Potter's Theory
of Media Literacy.
In order to achieve the study objectives, the researcher adopted
the media survey approach and used a questionnaire as the study
tool. The questionnaire included two primary axes: the first one is
based on three dimensions which are: the content accessing
dimension, content analyzing dimension, and content evaluating
dimension, while the second axis included an analysis of the most
prominent skills and competencies needed to exist in the audience in
order to interact with the media content. The study sample consisted
of students of Sultan Qaboos University, who numbered (17800)
female and male students, from (9) colleges (College of Agricultural
and Marine Sciences, college of arts and social sciences, College of
Economy and Political Studies, college of education, college of
engineering, college of law, college of medicine & health sciences,
college of nursing, and college of science). The study sample
included (504) students, (56) students from each college, and the
data was processed statistically using Statistical Package for Social
Sciences (SPSS).
The results indicated that the level of conscious/automatic
thinking among the study sample was average, with an arithmetic
mean (2.96) and most of the sample preferred the entertainment
content, which is expected among young university students and the
level of information control is high, with an arithmetic mean (3.70)
which shows that students of Sultan Qaboos University in the
Sultanate of Oman have the upper hand in controlling the media they
consume to a large extent, and thus are able to make appropriate
decisions according to their perception of what should be displayed
by the media, and this aligns to what Potter's theory has indicated
about the youth having high control of what information they consume
on media. The study also concluded that there are some gaps in the
students' low motivation to follow mainstream news, with an arithmetic
mean (2.91) as it does not always reflect their interests in light of the
changes taking place in the world.
The study recommends establishing a national framework for
media literacy in Sultanate of Oman international experiences create
a local curriculum for media literacy in collaboration with UNESCO
Office in Oman.
