The 2nd MediaEd Research Jam - Call for Extended Abstracts

U.S. media literacy educators and researchers are invited to submit extended abstracts for the 2026 MediaEd Research Jam, to be held March 12–13, 2026, at Northwestern University in Evanston, IL. This two-day, in-person convening will feature collaborative salons designed to spark research partnerships and develop educational strategies that address current challenges in media literacy education.

Applicants should submit a 500–1,250 word extended abstract along with a brief outline of the proposed data-driven paper. Submissions may present new research proposals or works in progress.

Submit materials using this form: LINK HERE. Deadline: February 5, 2026.

The theme for the 2026 MediaEd Research Jam is “Media Literacy Provocations: How We Measure, What We Value, and Where We Coalesce.” Contributors are invited to frame their submissions in response to one of the prompts below:

Provocation 1: What Counts as Media Literacy?

This provocation invites contributors to examine how “media literacy” is defined and practiced across the vast constellation of approaches and interventions in the field. We are particularly interested in work that interrogates how production and “making” practices sit alongside analysis and reflection. These two approaches are framed as integrations that are often celebrated but less often theorized. Submissions may explore how design, pedagogy, and critical media theory intersect with news, information, and visual (among other) literacies, and what these intersections reveal about the boundaries and possibilities of media literacy.

Provocation 2: How We Assess Success in Media Literacy? Deconstructing Current Practice & Research

This provocation invites critical examination of what counts as evidence in media literacy education. As a field that is constantly evolving and shaped by rapid technological advancements, shifting platforms and current events, we face many questions about what should be measured and how it should be measured. How do we assess media literacy when context, subjectivity and variability make “objective” evaluation difficult? What methods allow us to determine what works, and for whom, without reproducing the biases or students, teachers, or researchers? How might assessments foreground cognition and power relations involved when we access, analyze, evaluate and create information and media? This inquiry also sits within a broader media landscape, which is marked by a shift where legacy institutions are being replaced in prevalence among the public with influential individuals with the rise of easy to use media production and distribution tools. As creation becomes accessible to everyone (each with their own motivations and intentions), how should research and practice update the criteria that we use to judge credibility and impact in media literacy education?

Provocation 3: How Can Media Literacy Ethics Help Bridge Political Divides?

Media literacy has unfortunately become a polarized issue, often (and inaccurately) seen as a “liberal” or “woke” approach to teaching and learning. This provocation invites contributions that examine how this polarization manifests in research and practice, and how educators, scholars, and institutions might respond constructively. How do ethical commitments within media literacy, with concepts such as fairness, civic responsibility and respect for diverse perspectives, inform our work in politically fraught settings? How might media literacy efforts be shaped or constrained by external forces such as public or district policy, pressures from the community, or organized political movements? We welcome work that interrogates the ethical and political dimensions of media literacy and considers how the field might navigate these divides evident in public discourse.

Selected submissions will be invited to the Research Jam for live peer feedback and discussion, with the goal of helping authors advance their proposed projects. In Fall 2026, completed papers may be submitted to the MediaEd Research Jam open-access online publication by the Northwestern University Libraries. All submitted papers will undergo an open and collaborative peer-review process.

Applicants should submit a 500–1,250 word extended abstract along with a brief outline of the proposed data-driven paper. Submissions may present new research proposals or works in progress.

Submit materials using this form: LINK HERE. Deadline: February 1, 2026.

This gathering is co-sponsored by:

For future proposals and joining the 2027 planning committee, send inquiries to Yonty Friesem or Michael A. Spikes or Anna Kozlowska-Barrios or Pamela Morris.