DKK 7.2 million for research on children and young people's engagement with news

How can schools help children and young people navigate a complex news environment and engage with news in meaningful ways?

This is the question that Associate Professor Jonas Blom from the Centre for Journalism at the Department of Political Science and Public Management, University of Southern Denmark, will explore with a grant of almost DKK 7.2 million from Independent Research Fund Denmark under its thematic programme on learning and well-being in education.

Today, many children and young people encounter news through social media, where they often scroll quickly from one post to the next without much reflection. At the same time, increasing numbers report feeling overwhelmed or discouraged by what they see. This may affect their civic engagement, critical thinking and mental wellbeing.

The importance of early intervention

- It is crucial that children and young people develop healthier news habits, and schools can play a decisive role by intervening early, says Jonas Blom.

Research shows a gap between news education in schools and the ways in which children and young people encounter and use news in their daily lives.

- In principle, young people have learned at school that they should engage actively with news from established news media and be cautious about misinformation on social media. However, there is often a considerable difference between what people should do and what they actually do. All too often, good and healthy news habits remain in the classroom when the school day ends, explains Jonas Blom.

From passive scrolling to active news engagement

In the ReNew project, Jonas Blom, together with Kenneth Reinecke Hansen and Marie Dahl Rasmussen from University College Copenhagen, will investigate how news use and news literacy are taught in schools. The researchers will also examine the factors that encourage or discourage pupils from applying these skills in their everyday lives.

Working closely with schools, the research team will develop and test new teaching approaches designed to encourage pupils to engage with news, develop healthy news habits and apply their critical skills in practice.

The project will generate new knowledge about how news education can be made more relevant to children and young people and thereby support their active, critical and informed participation in society.

The project is entitled Reinforcing News Engagement and News Literacy in and Outside of School (ReNew). It is one of five projects to receive funding from Independent Research Fund Denmark’s thematic programme on research on learning and well-being in education.