The Synergy of Media and Language Literacy to Foster Kazakh Students’ Critical Thinking and Communication

Abstract

This paper examines the impact of incorporating media literacy practices into language instruction. The study explores a practical pedagogical approach to increase language learners’ awareness of media content and ability to recognise, resist, and respond to fake news and disinformation and guide them to become critical thinkers and effective communicators in a media-saturated world. The paper presents the integrated media literacy and language learning model as a teaching framework that guides the designing and implementing effective teaching strategies for contextual learning of the real world. During the research, we discovered that media literacy and language learning synergy can help students engage with various media forms and develop strong communication skills. The study results show that the suggested approach creates an educational environment that encourages the application of concepts to address real-world issues by analysing information, comprehending new ideas, solving problems, and making decisions. Students show significant improvement in reading and interpreting specific texts, viewing media critically, understanding and examining sources of information, and communicating their opinions and ideas using various multimedia tools. The study concludes with practical recommendations for educators implementing media literacy instruction to enhance students’ critical communication skills.