Institutional Tracking and the Stratification of Critical Media Literacy in Croatia
Institutional Tracking and the Stratification of Critical Media Literacy in Croatia

Summary/Abstract: This study examines how institutional school tracking and cultural capital shape the media literacy competencies of Croatian secondary school students (N = 2,347). Our findings are based on data collected in 2021 within the EduMediaTest project. Participants, students aged 14 to 18, demonstrated high functional proficiency in the Technology dimension (M = 4.42), while their performance in critical-analytical domains, such as Language (M = 2.24) and Production and Diffusion (M = 1.87), was substantially lower. This disparity suggests that technical fluency does not necessarily translate into the critical capacity needed to decode and evaluate media messages, supporting broader critiques of the “digital native” assumption. The interplay between home-based cultural resources, school tracking, and media literacy test scores was analyzed using analysis of variance (ANOVA) and stratified multiple linear regressions. The association between social background and media literacy competencies differed across educational tracks. Among students in academically oriented gymnasium programs, socioeconomic background variables showed comparatively weaker associations with media literacy outcomes, whereas in vocational education tracks, media literacy competencies were more strongly associated with the family-based objectified cultural capital and informal digital media practices. These findings suggest that students outside the academic track may rely more extensively on private, home-based resources to develop the competencies needed to navigate digital environments safely and derive meaningful benefits from their use.

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