The article analyzes the results of the international survey «Synthesis of Media Literacy Education and Media Criticism in the Modern World», conducted by the authors in May-July 2014. 64 media educators, media critics, and researchers in the field of media education and media culture participated in the survey, representing 18 countries: the USA, the UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Germany, Ireland, Spain, Portugal, Sweden, Finland, Greece, Cyprus, Hungary, Ukraine, Serbia, Turkey, and Russia. Analysis of the data shows that the international expert community on the whole shares the view that the synthesis of media education and media criticism is not only possible, but also necessary, especially in terms of effectively developing the audience’s critical thinking skills. However, only 9.4% of the experts believe that media critics' texts are used in media literacy education classes in their countries to a large extent. Approximately one-third (34.4% of the polled experts) believe that this is happening at a moderate level, and about the same number (32.8%) believe that this is happening to a small extent. Consequently, media education and media criticism have a lot to work to do to make their synthesis really effective in the modern world. El artículo analiza los resultados de la encuesta internacional sobre la «Situación de la educación en medios y la competencia crítica en medios en el mundo actual», llevado a cabo por los autores en mayo-julio de 2014. Fueron entrevistados responsables de 64 medios de comunicación, educadores críticos e investigadores en el campo de la educación mediática y la cultura de los medios de comunicación de 18 países: USA, Reino Unido, Canadá, Australia, Nueva Zelanda, Alemania, Irlanda, España, Portugal, Suecia, Finlandia, Grecia, Chipre, Hungría, Ucrania, Serbia, Turquía y Rusia. El análisis global de los datos muestra que la comunidad internacional de expertos comparte la convicción de que la situación de la educación en medios y la competencia crítica no es únicamente posible sino también necesaria, sobre todo en términos del desarrollo del pensamiento crítico de la audiencia. Sin embargo, solamente el 9,4% de los expertos en general cree que se utilizan los textos críticos de los medios en las clases de alfabetización mediática en sus respectivos países. Aproximadamente un tercio (34,4% de los expertos encuestados) creen que esto está sucediendo en un nivel aceptable y un porcentaje similar (32,8% de las respuestas) considera que ocurre en una mínima parte. En consecuencia, habrá mucho trabajo que hacer para que la educación en medios y su análisis crítico consiga su implementación eficaz en el mundo actual.

Analysis of scientific monographs, articles and Internet resources allows to conclude that there is no single concept of mass media education development in the CIS countries. Media educators in the CIS countries are generally oriented towards media literacy education as interpreted by UNESCO, however, in practice, there is often an imbalance when it comes to the development of competence in the field of information computer technologies, practical activities to create media texts or propaganda and counter-propaganda tasks.Interest in media education at universities in the CIS countries is episodic: courses dedicated to the development of media literacy/competence among students of non-media profiles are still very rare. Unlike many European Union countries, media education is still not integrated into school education. Vast opportunities of non-formal media education are not used everywhere.That is why the authors of this article have set ourselves the task of synthesizing a generalized model of mass media education based on the analysis of scientific monographs, articles, and Internet resources of the CIS countries, which can be used to develop media literacy/competence of the population. Media competence is in great demand all over the world today, so there is a whole range of tasks that should be solved at the state level and become the basis for the development of media education strategy in the CIS countries. When developing tools for implementing such a strategy, it may be useful to analyze the approaches, mechanisms, and experience of other European countries that are more successful in implementing policies in this area.

The article analyzes the results of the international experts' survey regarding the curriculum of media literacy education, which was administrated by the authors in September-October 2015. The expert panel includes specialists actively involved in the real process of media literacy education in schools, universities and other educational institutions, who also have significant publications record (monographs, study guides, articles in peer-reviewed journals). 65 experts from 20 countries took part in the survey: Armenia, Australia, Belgium, Canada, China, Croatia, Germany, Hungary, Greece, Israel, Mexico, Portugal, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Spain, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine, the USA. Based on the experts' answers, the productive sources of media literacy education curriculum were distinguished; as well as the content and learning outcomes of media literacy education curriculum, and assessment strategies of students' media literacy competence, aimed at various target groups. Furthermore, main challenges for media literacy curriculum design and implementation are outlined: the resistance of the administrative bodies, overloaded curriculum in the classroom, poor development of the initial and continuing training for teachers, necessity for the development high-level research and curriculum proposals.

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Analysis of the development of mass media education in the CIS countries showed that the main sections of the contents of the media education program (the existence of a section depends on the age and professional status of the audience) can be presented in the following way: the place and role, media and media education functions in the modern society, types and genres, media languages; basic terms, concepts related to media culture; historical stages of development of media culture in the world; analysis and evaluation of the functioning of media and media texts of different types and genres in the socio-cultural and ideological contexts; technologies of creation and distribution of media texts of various kinds and genres. Areas of application of such programs are: schools, secondary special educational institutions, universities, advanced training courses, additional education institutions and leisure centers; distant media education courses aimed at various population groups; independent (continuous/lifelong) media education, for example, through Internet sites. Modern models of media education in the CIS countries (with all the diversity of age and professional whole groups of the population) contain diagnostic, contenttargeted and effective components. Thereat, the author of the article believes that the CIS countries should not build the development of mass media education of their citizens based on confrontation and ideological propaganda. Thematical units of media education syllabi should evenly give the audience an idea that there is no single supreme democratic state in the world with ideally objective mass media. That is why the basis of media education activity must be sociocultural concepts (including, of course, analytical and practical components) rather than ideological ones that will allow the audience to comprehensively master the ambiguous world of media culture.

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The authors analyze the results of two universities students' survey aimed at finding out the respondents' media competence levels. The findings confirm a general tendency, that commonly, less than a quarter of the young audience reveals a high level development of the media competence's motivational index. A considerably larger part of respondents, about a half, demonstrates a low level of the motivational index. The analysis of the received data proves that a high degree of the media contact frequency and a high level of media competence's motivational index are not directly linked with an ability level to analyze a media text comprehensively. Nevertheless, the levels of interpretational/evaluation parameters of the audience's media competence to a large extent reflect the levels of their informational and motivational descriptors. Moreover, it turns out that the high level of informational index does not necessarily correlate to the level of media competence's evaluation index. On the whole, the survey shows that media competence of modern students needs to be developed. Therefore, university students (not less that school students) do need media literacy courses.Keywords: media literacy, education, media criticism, students, Russia, university, survey. IntroductionThe students' survey was organized in order to find out levels of the audience's media competence (with emphasis on the synthesis of media education and criticism). Media competence is defined as a complex of motives, knowledge, skills, abilities (descriptors: contact, motivational, informational, interpretation/evaluation, activity), facilitating the choice, use, critical analysis, evaluation, creation and communicating media texts in different forms, types and genres, analysis of the media functioning in society (Ashley et al., 2013;Downey et al., 2014;Fantin, 2010;Fedorov, 2003;Korochensky, 2003;Marchessault, 2014;Myasnikova, 2010; Potter, 2014;Soldatova, 2013; Sourbati, 2009;Sparks, 2013;Tsymbalenko et al., 2013; Wilson et al., 2011;Zircon, 2013).While developing most of the units of questions and assignments we deliberately chose the close form of a questionnaire (so that a question was followed by several options to choose from). This decision is explained by the fact that most students are as a rule not able to provide clear and brief argumentation for their viewpoint on media preferences. Therefore several most probable variants of an answer were offered. Moreover, close questionnaires take less time to fill out for the respondents, and can fit in within the time limit of a class period.The differentiation of media competence levels is based on the classification of media competence levels (the audience's development in the media culture sphere). According to it, audiences are offered 5 main units of questions and assignments: the unit of questions for ascertaining the media competence's contact index level (frequency of contacts with different types of media, media criticism and media literacy texts); the unit of questions to d...

Media criticism and media education have a lot in common. For example, both media education and media criticism attach great importance to the development of analytical thinking of the audience. Indeed, one of the most important tasks of media education is precisely to teach the audience not only to analyze media texts of any types, but also to understand the mechanisms of media texts' creation and functioning in society. Actually, the same is emphasized by media criticism, addressing experts, and a wider audience as well. Therefore the synthesis of media criticism and media education is vital. Hence it is very important to debate on the role and functions of the media in society and analysis of media texts of different types and genres in classrooms of schools and universities.