Understanding Young Adults' Perception and Detecting Teachers' and Trainers' Awareness

This report presents the results of the GEMINI audience research among European young adults and secondary school teachers/trainers, conducted as part of the WP3 activities in the 4 European countries involved in the project: Denmark, Ireland, Italy, and Romania.<br/><br/>The analysis of the main findings follows the structure established during the research design phase, which employs a mixed-method approach, combining qualitative methods (focus groups and in-depth interviews) and quantitative one (multilingual transnational survey). The findings provide valuable data and analysis to understand and measure whether and how young European adults perceive, interpret, and engage with the gender representations offered by serial dramas, as well as teachers’ attitudes towards teaching gender issues through the lens of screen seriality.<br/><br/>Section 2 details the common methodology employed across the 4 countries to conduct focus group sessions with European high school students and presents the main findings from each country. This approach allowed for a deeper understanding of young adults’ consumption of serial dramas and their interest in gender-related issues. While highlighting common trends in consumption habits and widespread interest in gender issues among the European young adults, a comparative analysis of the main findings revealed a diverse perceived influence of serial dramas, often mediated by socio-cultural factors different to each country.<br/><br/>Section 3 reports on the main findings of the in-depth interviews carried out with European high school teachers in the 4 countries, with the aim of gaining an in-depth knowledge of the way they work with students on gender issues, which is a core element for the future development of innovative teaching methods. Against a widespread interest in gender issues and an open attitude towards the use of serial dramas as a teaching tool, the teachers’ perspective puts the spotlight on the main challenges they have to face, ranging from socio-cultural resistance – mainly from students’ parents – to institutional issues, such as varying copyright regulations and the availability of technical infrastructure.<br/><br/>Section 4 focuses on the results of the quantitative phase of the audience research, analysing the data from the trans-national survey from a comparative perspective. The main findings provide insights into the level of awareness and interest among high school students in gender and diversity issues from an intersectional perspective. They also highlight the perceived dual nature of serial dramas, which are seen as powerful tools both for perpetuating gender stereotypes and for suggesting inclusive models of society, and whose influence is perceived by EU young adults mainly on an emotional level.<br/><br/>Overall, the results of this report establish a strategic link between the research phase and the subsequent training and pilot phases of the project. They also offer valuable insights into integrating serial dramas and gender issues into high school teaching, while considering the similarities and differences observed across the 4 countries.