Objective: Considering the importance of the social role of female students as future wives and mothers in the country, and given the widespread media attack on the institution of the family-particularly on women in society-it is essential to address the issue of media awareness and media literacy education among female students. In this study, Al-Zahra University (a public university) and Refah College (a non-governmental college) were selected as research sites, and the dimensions of media literacy among female students in Tehran from the aforementioned universities were compared.
Methods: The research is applied in terms of purpose and is a survey study that employed the standard Potter questionnaire to collect data. The statistical population comprised all undergraduate and graduate students of these two universities in the academic year 2024–2025, from which 358 participants were selected through stratified random sampling. To assess validity, several professors and experts were consulted; to monitor reliability, Cronbach's alpha was calculated, and the questionnaire items were confirmed (α = 0.84). Data were analyzed using SPSS software and Spearman correlation and Chi-square tests.
Results: The findings indicate that, across the four dimensions of media literacy examined at Al-Zahra University, most students demonstrated low media literacy in the perceptual dimension, low to moderate in the emotional dimension, moderate to high in the aesthetic dimension, and low to moderate in the moral dimension. At Refah College, however, most students demonstrated low to moderate media literacy in the perceptual dimension, moderate in the emotional dimension, moderate to high in the aesthetic dimension, and low to moderate in the moral dimension. Overall, a comparison of students from the two universities suggests that their levels of media literacy knowledge across the various dimensions were largely close and similar. Nevertheless, students at Al-Zahra University exhibited a higher level of media literacy in the emotional dimension than those at Refah College, while students at Refah College exhibited a higher level of media literacy in the perceptual dimension than those at Al-Zahra University.
Conclusions: It should be noted that no significant relationship was found between the variables of marital status, employment status, field of study, and media consumption, on the one hand, and the dimensions of media literacy, on the other. Among the variables under study, however, a positive and strong correlation was observed between employment status, educational groups, and the dimensions of media literacy - a correlation that was stronger in the perceptual dimension than in the other dimensions. Furthermore, in order to improve the status of media literacy among students, it is recommended that a course unit related to media literacy knowledge be added to the curricula of students at all levels across different universities. Additionally, websites and resources aimed at enhancing media literacy knowledge should be made more practical and widely accessible so that students can utilize them as effectively as possible. The media should also dedicate documented programs to media literacy on a weekly basis, so that the information and media literacy of families can be updated in accordance with the requirements of the time.