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Media Literacy Education News Post

Recent Research Findings on the Previous Sex Education Experiences of Community College Students

2024-02-21T14:38:12+00:00

February 21, 2024, Durham, NC – Though community college students make up nearly half of all U.S. undergraduate students, they are often overlooked by sexual and relationship health research. The limited amount of research on this population may make it difficult for community colleges to make evidence-based decisions about the types of resources and support they should provide to their students to promote their sexual health. Without accessible resources to learn about and manage their health, community college students may be at risk for unhealthy sexual and relationship behaviors. To address these gaps in research, iRT has been conducting the Community [...]

Recent Research Findings on the Previous Sex Education Experiences of Community College Students2024-02-21T14:38:12+00:00

Offering Comprehensive Sex Education with Media Aware – High School

2024-02-07T16:08:32+00:00

February 07, 2024, Durham, NC – To address the need for comprehensive sex education for adolescents in the United States, iRT developed Media Aware – High School, a self-paced, web-based, multimedia course designed to provide high school students with medically-accurate information on a variety of sexual health topics. Through a series of four multi-part lessons, students receive information on foundational sex education topics, including STI prevention and testing, sexual assault, consent, and birth control methods, as well as relevant, inclusive topics that are often left out of school-based sex education, including how substance use affects sexual decisions and behavior; gender role [...]

Offering Comprehensive Sex Education with Media Aware – High School2024-02-07T16:08:32+00:00

Filling the Gaps in High School Sex Education in the United States

2024-01-19T20:24:30+00:00

January 18, 2024, Durham, NC – Providing high-quality, comprehensive sex education to high school students is an important part of supporting healthy sexual development and decision-making in adolescents. During adolescence, youth often begin or continue forming beliefs about sex and relationships, making decisions about their own sexual health and romantic relationships, and developing a healthy sexuality. When equipped with high-quality sexual health resources and knowledge, high school students may be able to make healthier decisions and form healthy beliefs about their sexual health. Research has shown that comprehensive school-based sex education may reduce teenage pregnancy rates and increase safe sex behaviors [...]

Filling the Gaps in High School Sex Education in the United States2024-01-19T20:24:30+00:00

Addressing the Nationwide Addiction Crisis with Media Literacy Education, Mentoring, Mindfulness, and More

2024-01-21T01:00:53+00:00

January 17, 2024, Durham, NC – The federal government and medical facilities across the United States have made substantial efforts to impede growth of the national opioid crisis, but trends in substance use have evolved in recent years making it increasingly difficult to thwart the addiction crisis. Updates on the decades-long opioid epidemic and prevention efforts have consistently made headlines as millions of Americans have faced opioid use disorders in the last three years. However, as rates of cocaine, methamphetamine, and fentanyl use continue to climb, it is vital to spread awareness of the pervasiveness of polysubstance use, in addition to [...]

Addressing the Nationwide Addiction Crisis with Media Literacy Education, Mentoring, Mindfulness, and More2024-01-21T01:00:53+00:00

iRT Researchers Present Findings from iRT’s Sexual Health and Media Literacy Education Research

2023-12-19T19:55:34+00:00

December 19, 2023, Durham, NC – iRT Research Scientists Drs. Christina Dodson and Reina Evans-Paulson presented at The Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality’s (SSSS) conference last month in New Orleans, Louisiana to discuss some of iRT’s research related to sexual health and media literacy education. Every year, SSSS hosts sexual health researchers and professionals interested in the sexual sciences to discuss recent research and issues related to sexuality and sexual health. Examining Resources to Address Sexual Health at Community Colleges At this year’s conference, Dr. Dodson gave an oral presentation entitled A Qualitative Study Examining Resources to Address Sexual [...]

iRT Researchers Present Findings from iRT’s Sexual Health and Media Literacy Education Research2023-12-19T19:55:34+00:00

iRT Publishes Chapter in Media Literacy and Media Education Research Methods: A Handbook

2023-11-18T02:57:02+00:00

November 17, 2023, Durham, NC – In an increasingly digital world, youth and adults are consistently exposed to a barrage of media messages. Some media messages include false or misleading information that may have a powerful influence on the beliefs and behaviors of consumers, particularly youth and young adults. Media literacy education is a growing, promising approach to helping youth and young adults become more active, rather than passive, consumers of media, so they can protect themselves from the potentially harmful impacts of exposure to misleading media messages on their beliefs and behaviors. Many media literacy education-based programs, such as those [...]

iRT Publishes Chapter in Media Literacy and Media Education Research Methods: A Handbook2023-11-18T02:57:02+00:00

iRT to Present at The Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality’s Annual Conference

2023-11-15T14:36:53+00:00

October 31, 2023, Durham, NC – iRT Research Scientists Drs. Christina Dodson and Reina Evans-Paulson will present at the 2023 meeting of The Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality’s (SSSS) annual conference in New Orleans, Louisiana this November. Each year, SSSS invites professionals who conduct sexual research, who are interested in issues relating to sexuality, or whose work relates to sexual science to gather for networking opportunities, workshops, symposia, and presentations to share recent findings in sexual research and discuss topics related to sexuality. Dodson and Evans-Paulson will attend this year’s conference, which will be held November 16-19, 2023, to [...]

iRT to Present at The Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality’s Annual Conference2023-11-15T14:36:53+00:00

Latest Edition of Media Ready Spanish Incorporates New Substance Misuse Prevention Content

2023-07-19T17:30:07+00:00

March 16, 2023, Durham, NC – The fourth and newest edition of iRT’s evidence-based, instructor-led media literacy and substance misuse prevention program for middle school students, Media Ready Spanish, has been released. Media Ready Spanish provides youth with skills to critically analyze media content that contains harmful messages about alcohol, drugs, tobacco products, and vapes. The Spanish version of the program continues to use Latin American Spanish in the translations to provide teachers with the opportunity to present all instructional materials to their students in their native language. Through Media Ready’s series of 10 fully scripted, highly interactive lessons, students practice [...]

Latest Edition of Media Ready Spanish Incorporates New Substance Misuse Prevention Content2023-07-19T17:30:07+00:00

iRT Collaborates on a Cultural Adaptation of a Parent-Child Communication Program

2022-12-30T19:24:52+00:00

December 30, 2022, Durham, NC – Literature suggests that Latino parents, like other communities, lack confidence in their knowledge and ability to discuss sex and relationships with their kids. However, few resources are available to guide parents in communicating with their teenagers about sexual health, especially in a culturally relevant format. iRT’s self-paced, interactive online program, Media Aware Parent, is designed to help parents navigate conversations with their teenagers about sex, relationships, and media. Dr. Tracy Scull, Senior Research Scientist for iRT, and Dr. Mercedes M. Morales-Alemán, Assistant Professor for The University of Alabama, aim to adapt Media Aware Parent to [...]

iRT Collaborates on a Cultural Adaptation of a Parent-Child Communication Program2022-12-30T19:24:52+00:00

iRT Enhances Media Literacy Education and Substance Use Prevention Program for Children

2023-07-19T17:59:24+00:00

December 30, 2022, Durham, NC – iRT is pleased to announce the third and newest edition of Media Detective Spanish, a media literacy, alcohol, tobacco, and vaping misuse prevention program designed for elementary school students. The Media Detective program consists of instructor-led, interactive classroom activities and hands-on practice opportunities to help students apply critical thinking skills to analyzing the media messages they consume. The Spanish version of Media Detective provides all curriculum content in Spanish to allow teachers to present program content in the language that students are most comfortable with. Media Detective Spanish’s updated edition has expanded upon past editions [...]

iRT Enhances Media Literacy Education and Substance Use Prevention Program for Children2023-07-19T17:59:24+00:00
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