Effectiveness of Media and Virtual Space Psychological Literacy Training on Cognitive-Emotional Flexibility of Adolescents

Introduction: The aim of the research was to evaluate the effectiveness of media psychological literacy training on the cognitive-emotional flexibility of adolescents.Method: The current research employed a semi-experimental design utilizing a two-group pre-test-post-test framework. The statistical population consisted of middle school students in Birjand during the academic year 2023-2024. A total of 60 students (30 girls and 30 boys) were randomly assigned to two groups: an experimental group and a control group, with 30 participants in each group. The experimental group, comprising 15 girls and 15 boys, received training over a period of 8 weeks, with one 90-minute session each week. This training utilized an educational package on psychological literacy in media and virtual spaces, developed by the researcher. The research instruments included questionnaires assessing psychological literacy in media and virtual spaces (created by the researcher), the Iranian version of cognitive flexibility by Dennis, Vanderwal, and Jillon (2010), as introduced by Kokhandani and Abolmaali al-Hosseini (2013), and the cognitive regulation of emotion scale (Garnefski and Karaij, 2006, as introduced by Basharat, 2015). Data analysis was conducted using SPSS version 23.Results: Teaching psychological literacy in media and virtual spaces significantly impacts students' cognitive flexibility and emotional regulation (P < 0.01).Discussion and conclusion: Considering the role of psychological literacy in media and virtual spaces in enhancing cognitive flexibility and emotional regulation among teenagers, we propose the strategy of teaching media literacy through this educational package as an effective method for improving psychosocial indicators and preventing harm from media and virtual environments.