Escape rooms for media literacy: a systematic literature review

Compelling evidence points to the fact that training media consumers, especially young people, in media literacy is critical for addressing global risks linked to mis/disinformation and cognitive manipulation. Insights from previous research on media literacy training suggest that educational escape rooms (EERs) can be an effective way to deliver such training. However, the use of these novel game-based learning activities for media literacy training has not been systematically reviewed before. This article aims to review the existing literature on EERs for media literacy to synthesise current practices as well as existing evidence of their effectiveness. The following aspects were analysed for each study included in the review: learning objectives, media literacy areas and platforms; EER characteristics (storyline, goal, puzzles, format, delivery, duration and support) and research design aspects (context, sample, research aims, findings, evaluation methods and recommendations). Our findings indicate that EERs hold significant potential for developing media literacy competencies, particularly in areas of understanding and reflection. However, they also suggest that the design and evaluation of these activities require further refinement to fully realise their educational potential across media literacy areas. Moreover, the findings indicate that EERs should be accompanied by other forms of instruction to be truly effective.