Don't tell me how to fact-check; show me, and let me try! A media literacy intervention with sixth-graders.

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Title: Don't tell me how to fact-check; show me, and let me try! A media literacy intervention with sixth-graders.
Authors: Nygren, Thomas1 thomas.nygren@edu.uu.se, Axelsson, Carl-Anton Werner2
Source: Journal of Media Literacy Education. 2026, Vol. 18 Issue 1, p38-67. 30p.
Subject Terms: *Media literacy, *Learning, *Misinformation, *Sixth grade (Education), Fact checking, Public broadcasting, Freedom of expression
Abstract: This study examines how different educational approaches related to "Fria Ordets Dag" (Free Speech Day), a media literacy program by the Swedish public service, affect the ability of 859 sixth-graders to evaluate news and misinformation. Findings indicate that verbal instructions from a professional fact-checker and animations to model online fact-checking were less effective than demonstrative, authentic video tutorials. Feedback and practice were also important. The intervention yielded mixed outcomes on students' attitudes towards credible news sources, pointing to the necessity for educational designs that bolster fact-checking and source trust. The research emphasizes how large-scale school interventions to promote students' navigation of (mis)information are possible but also need to be carefully investigated to safeguard the usefulness and development of such interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Journal of Media Literacy Education is the property of National Association for Media Literacy Education and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Database: Education Research Complete
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Nygren%2C+Thomas%22">Nygren, Thomas</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo><i> thomas.nygren@edu.uu.se</i><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Axelsson%2C+Carl-Anton+Werner%22">Axelsson, Carl-Anton Werner</searchLink><relatesTo>2</relatesTo>
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Journal+of+Media+Literacy+Education%22">Journal of Media Literacy Education</searchLink>. 2026, Vol. 18 Issue 1, p38-67. 30p.
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  Data: *<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Media+literacy%22">Media literacy</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Learning%22">Learning</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Misinformation%22">Misinformation</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Sixth+grade+%28Education%29%22">Sixth grade (Education)</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Fact+checking%22">Fact checking</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Public+broadcasting%22">Public broadcasting</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Freedom+of+expression%22">Freedom of expression</searchLink>
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  Data: This study examines how different educational approaches related to "Fria Ordets Dag" (Free Speech Day), a media literacy program by the Swedish public service, affect the ability of 859 sixth-graders to evaluate news and misinformation. Findings indicate that verbal instructions from a professional fact-checker and animations to model online fact-checking were less effective than demonstrative, authentic video tutorials. Feedback and practice were also important. The intervention yielded mixed outcomes on students' attitudes towards credible news sources, pointing to the necessity for educational designs that bolster fact-checking and source trust. The research emphasizes how large-scale school interventions to promote students' navigation of (mis)information are possible but also need to be carefully investigated to safeguard the usefulness and development of such interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
– Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright
  Label:
  Group: Ab
  Data: <i>Copyright of Journal of Media Literacy Education is the property of National Association for Media Literacy Education and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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      – Type: doi
        Value: 10.23860/JMLE-2026-18-1-3
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      – Code: eng
        Text: English
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        StartPage: 38
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Media literacy
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Learning
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Misinformation
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Sixth grade (Education)
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Fact checking
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Public broadcasting
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      – SubjectFull: Freedom of expression
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              Text: 2026
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