“Facebook & Co.” – A Scientific Accompanying Study on the Effectiveness of Prevention Campaigns in Media Education

Runtime: April 2013 to January 2014

By now, digital media are an integral feature in the lifeworld of children and youths, not least against the background that media competences are regarded as key competences not only on the part of the schools, but also on the part of the parents. The use and application of e-learning programs in elementary schools and using them to research certain topics in middle and high schools is already part of the curriculum to varying degrees, although without the requirement of adequate (further) training regarding media education on behalf of the teachers. Quite often, however, mobile phones and the internet offer a platform for harassment, whereas the internet deceives the youths because of the great amount of anonymity it provides to use this means as a weapon, or there is the possibility to become a victim themselves. Not least because e-learning offers and services have also been used by parents and teachers in recent years increasingly and the acquisition of computer games is supported by the parents, the media pedagogues and the parents, most of all, are required to offer support, exert control, and provide information so that the youths are not left to themselves while using these media. For that reason, the Institute of Education evaluates a prevention project which is offered by the “Kommunale Kriminalprävention Rhein-Neckar e.V.” (“Communal Crime Prevention Association Rhine-Neckar”) and focuses various target groups. On the one hand, workshops are organized with students of all ages as well as expert days and parents’ evenings on the topic of “Facebook & co.” Topics like “dealing with data”, “cyber mobbing”, “security measures”, and forming networks are focused to be able to react in this area with problems concerning digital media effectively. The evaluation includes a quantitative and a qualitative survey.