Fostering media literacy and gender awareness in primary school: a transnational research integrated pathway for critical and inclusive digital citizenship

Today's era is globally marked by growing digital disruption, where socio-cultural divides and other possible dangers related to online disinformation threaten optimism towards democratic values such as dialogue, openness to diversity, or inclusion, by highlighting the urgent need for citizens to be equally informed to make aware choices on matters of social relevance. Among the many critical and pressing challenges, such structural inequalities might intersect with the gender gap - one of the most persistent features of Western democracies – with particularly significant implications for young children. Indeed, early exposure to digital media may harmfully impact their well-being, by fostering the development of common misconceptions, especially as social media platforms tend to strengthen widespread stereotypes. Therefore, it is increasingly important to advocate for worldwide cooperation among policymakers, researchers, and educational institutions to maximize opportunities offered by the digitalization process and achieve positive outcomes across different European contexts and beyond. In line with international efforts to empower young citizens in shaping their social futures, the present paper aims at exploring these concerns through a media-educational, research-based pathway implemented by the University of Florence within a fourth-grade Montessori class at the “Vittorio Veneto” State Primary School – part of the “Centro Storico Pestalozzi” Comprehensive Institute in Florence (Central Italy). The initiative took place between May and June 2024 as part of the European project “Inclusive and Creative Media Education” (ICME) (CREA-CROSS-2022-MEDIALITERACY, 2022-2024). Specifically, the study investigates how Media Education can support early interventions aimed at deconstructing gender stereotypes. It also examines the implications of such interventions for pupils’ critical media understanding, expression, and civic engagement, while reflecting on how mediaeducational practices can be effectively adapted across diverse national contexts. To this end, targeted media-educational activities were designed, carried out, and evaluated through a three-phase process: ex-ante, in itinere, and ex-post. Findings revealed meaningful progress in students’ personal, social, and civic development, while also emphasizing the value of bridging educational research and institutional practice. Moreover, the study highlighted the need for adaptable pedagogical strategies that support comparative approaches to foster shared European competencies.