Developing and Implementing a Critical Reading Program for YouTube History Content to Foster Critical Thinking in Elementary School Students

The purpose of this study was to develop a critical reading program for YouTube history content aimed at fostering critical thinking and to examine its effects when applied in an actual educational setting. In the digital information era, where facts and falsehoods are intermingled across diverse media, this study focused on YouTube history content based on video texts and implemented the program with sixth-grade elementary school students. Before and after the program, the enhancement of critical thinking was analyzed both quantitatively and qualitatively, distinguishing between critical thinking skills and dispositions. In addition, changes in students’ perceptions of YouTube history content were examined through qualitative methods. The findings are as follows. First, both critical thinking skills and dispositions showed positive changes after the program, as confirmed through quantitative and qualitative analyses. Second, as students engaged in the critical reading process, they demonstrated not unconditional acceptance but questioning and raising doubts when interpreting YouTube history content. Third, considering the characteristics of YouTube history content, students exhibited the traits of active learners by communicate through comments, likes, or dislikes in response to misinformation. This study suggests new directions for history education and media education by developing and applying a critical reading model that reflects the unique features of YouTube content.