Development of media literacy of students – future biotechnologists in the process of teaching mathematics

Introduction. One of the priority areas of modern mathematical education is the formation of a media-literate generation, whose professional activities are directly related to the prosperous existence of a person, in an era of unprecedented influence from the world of media. The purpose of the study is to identify and test the methodological conditions that ensure the development of media literacy of students – future biotechnologists in the process of teaching mathematics at the university. Materials and methods. The research involved 150 students of the Vyatka State University majoring in 19.03.01 Biotechnology training program. The main methods for measuring media literacy, presented by the New Media Literacy Scale (NMLS), was supplemented with diagnostic tools from specially designed contextual mathematical problems, based on real news reports. Statistical analysis of the obtained results was performed using the Pearson's χ2 test and the Mann-Whitney U test. KEYWORDS Results. The features of the formation and assessment of media literacy of students – future biotechnologists using mathematics based on modern research are presented for the first time. A number of methodological conditions have been formulated to ensure the development of this type of literacy, which clarifies and expands the understanding of the system of mathematical training for bachelor biotechnologists. Of primary importance for the development of media literacy skills is the solution of problems compiled on the basis of authentic media texts that are directly related to the social, professional and personal lives of students. Attention is also paid to data visualization, building mathematical models, mastering the apparatus of mathematical statistics, and using online Math tools. Additionally, diagnostic tools have been developed and tested. Its key feature is that the student does not work in a simulated environment, but in a real socio-scientific problem of the incidence of COVID-19. The effectiveness of the intervention based on the described conditions was confirmed by significant differences (Uemp. = 83; p < 0,01). Conclusion. The identified methodological conditions and the proposed diagnostic tools can be used to develop media literacy skills of students of natural sciences in the process of teaching mathematics at a university.