Presentation-based media and information literacy: Grade 12 technical-vocational students’ lived experiences and perceived links to digital citizenship
Abstract
This study explored how senior high school students experienced a researcher-developed 21st Century Skills Presentation Approach in Media and Information Literacy and what those experiences imply for educating responsible digital citizens. A descriptive phenomenological design was used with ten purposively selected Grade 12 technical-vocational students at a private Philippine school. Five participants were consistent honor students and five were lower-performing students; the categories broadened experiential variation rather than serving as comparison groups. Individual semi-structured interviews lasting 45-60 minutes were conducted online, transcribed verbatim, member-checked, and analyzed through horizonalization, meaning formulation, thematic clustering, and textural-structural synthesis. Five themes described the shared experience: a shift from passive participation toward motivated and responsible engagement; perceived growth in critical thinking, creativity, communication, and collaboration; difficulty adapting to learner-centered work, judging source credibility, coordinating groups, and managing time and technology; resilience through teacher and peer support, reflective practice, and digital resources; and a call for stronger learner preparation, ethical technology use, and inclusive classroom conditions. Participants understood the approach as more than presentation practice. They described an experiential pathway linking inquiry, creative production, dialogue, and reflection with more careful information judgment and responsible online participation. The findings do not establish causal effectiveness, but they show how a structured presentation pedagogy may create conditions in which media literacy becomes a lived civic practice. Implementation should combine explicit source-evaluation instruction, scaffolded collaboration, accessible technology, transparent assessment, and safeguards for student voice.