Using Music Media to Facilitate Family Critical Media Literacy Practices: A Multiple Case Study with Preschool Bilingual Children

This study examines how music videos can be implemented in the home context to enhance children’s critical engagement with gender representations in chidren’s media. Guided by the conceptual framework drawn from new literacies, critical media literacy, and sociocultural theory, this study employs a multiple case study approach focusing on three 4-year-old children and their mothers. The analysis of participatory observations of mother–child interactions during literacy activities reveals that critical conversations about music videos in two languages helps children analyze content from multiple perspectives and to challenge the dominant gender discourses found in children’s music videos. Findings from this study suggest the possibilities of using music videos in bilingual households as a medium to create a media-rich, family critical media literacy environment for young bilingual learners.