Empowering media literacy through Multimodal Discourse Analysis: a case study on the media representation of migrants

This case-study reports on a Multimodal Discourse Analysis (MDA)-based workshop on Media Literacy (ML) held at an Italian middle school in 2022. With a pretest post-test design, 44 participants were asked to complete a questionnaire at the beginning of a 2-hour workshop and then again at the end. The questionnaire was designed to (1) explore the role of multiple semiotic modes in shaping students’ interpretation of a 1-minute video shared on the web, and (2) examine variations in their understanding as a result of the MDA analysis. Results point to the potential of MDA in fostering and leveraging ML among young learners.