Network
NW 06 / NW 16: Educational Responses to Information Disorder
Title
Educational Responses to Information Disorder
Abstract
This joint call explores how education can support informed judgement and responsible media participation amid misinformation, disinformation and malinformation (collectively referred to as information disorder). Bringing together research on ICT-supported learning with media education and cultural contexts, it examines how cognitive and affective processes, social relationships and digital environments shape encounters with information disorder. We welcome research on educational approaches, theories and methods across schools, universities, adult and professional education, in addition to community and everyday settings. Particular interests include critical media and digital literacies, generative AI, learner agency, and the evaluation of educational responses across diverse European and international contexts.
The Call
Misinformation, disinformation and malinformation raise educational questions about how people judge credibility, develop understanding and participate responsibly in media environments. The original information disorder framework distinguished false information shared without harmful intent, deliberate falsehoods intended to harm, and genuine information used harmfully (Wardle & Derakhshan, 2017). Building on the original information disorder framework, more recent research emphasises the actors, intentions and social contexts involved in creating, sharing and interpreting deceptive information (Hameleers, 2023).
These challenges connect cognitive, affective and social processes with the cultural and technological conditions of learning. Misinformation can continue to shape people’s thinking even after it has been corrected (Ecker et al., 2022) but also cautions against overstating misinformation’s prevalence and effects (Altay et al., 2023). This raises questions about how people judge particular claims and how the wider media environment shapes what they encounter and trust. Media education can help address these questions by exploring how information is produced and shared, whose interests it serves, and how cultural contexts shape its meaning (Buckingham, 2019).
Generative AI adds questions about synthetic content, source reliability and human agency, connecting AI literacy with media and information literacy (Frau-Meigs, 2024). Recent European guidance addresses educational responses, user empowerment and information integrity (Council of Europe, 2026; European Commission, 2026).
This joint call brings Network 16’s interests in ICT-supported learning, learning design and evaluation into dialogue with Network 6’s interests in media education, open learning and cultural contexts.
Contact Person(s)
Klaus Rummler klaus.rummler(at)phzh.ch
Cornelia Connelly cornelia.connolly(at)universityofgalway.ie
Ruth Wood r.h.wood(at)kingston.ac.uk
References
Altay, S., Berriche, M., & Acerbi, A. (2023). Misinformation on misinformation: Conceptual and methodological challenges. Social Media + Society, 9(1). https://doi.org/10.1177/20563051221150412
Buckingham, D. (2019). Teaching media in a ‘post-truth’ age: Fake news, media bias and the challenge for media/digital literacy education. Culture and Education, 31(2), 213–231. https://doi.org/10.1080/11356405.2019.1603814
Council of Europe. (2026). Resisting disinformation: Ten building blocks to strengthen information integrity. https://edoc.coe.int/en/media/12547-resisting-disinformation-ten-building-blocks-to-strengthen-information-integrity.html
Ecker, U. K. H., Lewandowsky, S., Cook, J., Schmid, P., Fazio, L. K., Brashier, N., Kendeou, P., Vraga, E. K., & Amazeen, M. A. (2022). The psychological drivers of misinformation belief and its resistance to correction. Nature Reviews Psychology, 1, 13–29. https://doi.org/10.1038/s44159-021-00006-y
European Commission, Directorate-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture. (2026). Guidelines for teachers and educators on tackling disinformation and promoting digital literacy through education and training—Updated. Publications Office of the European Union. https://doi.org/10.2766/5220136
Frau-Meigs, D. (2024). User empowerment through media and information literacy responses to the evolution of generative artificial intelligence (GAI). UNESCO. https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000388547
Hameleers, M. (2023). “Disinformation as a context-bound phenomenon: Toward a conceptual clarification integrating actors, intentions and techniques of creation and dissemination.” Communication Theory, 33(1), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1093/ct/qtac021
Wardle, C., & Derakhshan, H. (2017). Information disorder: Toward an interdisciplinary framework for research and policy making. Council of Europe. https://edoc.coe.int/en/media/7495-information-disorder-toward-an-interdisciplinary-framework-for-research-and-policy-making.html