Speaker
Description
This presentation examines how university EFL students develop awareness of audience, value, and accessibility while designing children’s media that is engaging and relevant for younger audiences. Drawing on classroom-based action research, the study analyzes student reflections and project work to identify patterns in how learners conceptualize media for children. The presentation highlights the pedagogical potential of children’s media design tasks for supporting learner development and reflective thinking in university EFL contexts.
Keywords
Learner development
Children’s media
Project-based learning
EFL pedagogy
References
Kirkorian, H. L., Wartella, E. A., & Anderson, D. R. (2008). Media and young children’s learning. The Future of Children, 18(1), 39–61.
Senokossoff, G. W. (2013). Picture books are for little kids, aren’t they? Using picture books with adolescent readers to enhance literacy instruction. Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts, 52(3). https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/reading_horizons/vol52/iss3/2
Abstract
Children’s media can play a role in supporting learning and conveying values, particularly when content is designed to be age-appropriate and accessible (Kirkorian, Wartella, & Anderson, 2008). In university EFL contexts, learners are increasingly asked to create media as part of project-based coursework, yet little is known about how they conceptualize media intended for audiences younger than themselves. This study examines how university EFL students develop awareness of audience, value, and accessibility through the design of children’s media.
This classroom-based action research was conducted in a Media English course at a Japanese university and was originally intended to inform the revision of an existing Children’s Media unit. Students worked in small groups to design an original piece of children’s media (audio, visual, or mixed), targeting a specific age group. Data sources include student reflective comments collected throughout the unit, final project artifacts, and the instructor’s reflective research journal. Analysis focuses on patterns in how learners articulate design choices related to value, engagement, accessibility, and relevance.
This presentation reports on patterns identified in student reflections and project work, using an analytical framework focused on learner development. Particular attention is given to how designing for younger audiences encourages learners to simplify language, make intentional stylistic choices, and reflect more explicitly on audience needs. In line with previous research on the pedagogical value of using children’s texts with older learners (Senokossoff, 2013), the study highlights how children’s media design tasks can support reflective thinking and learner development in university EFL contexts.
Short summary
This presentation examines how university EFL students develop awareness of audience, value, and accessibility while designing children’s media that is engaging and relevant for younger audiences. Drawing on classroom-based action research, the study analyzes student reflections and project work to identify patterns in how learners conceptualize media for children. The presentation highlights the pedagogical potential of children’s media design tasks for supporting learner development and reflective thinking in university EFL contexts.
| Scheduling preference | Anytime on Saturday |
|---|---|
| Title | Learning by designing: Children’s media in a university EFL course |