Strategies for Teaching Disinformation Awareness in the Polish Educational System

Abstract

New technologies are readily available in our everyday lives, and even primary school children now possess mobile phones with Internet connections. It is crucial to recognize that the utilization of these new technologies comes with various risks, one of which is the accessibility of unverified information that can lead to disinformation. This article aims to present the programs, strategies, and tools implemented in the educational system in Poland to address the teaching of disinformation and critical thinking. A narrative review examines methods in Poland’s education system to combat disinformation and foster critical data analysis among students, using a multi-step search strategy to select relevant English or Polish sources from academic and news databases, including peer-reviewed articles, government reports, educational materials, and websites. The core curriculum mandates instruction on disinformation and fake news phenomena in both primary and high schools. This instruction is integrated into subjects such as Polish language and computer science. At a higher education level, there are multidisciplinary scientific programs, primarily designed for journalism students. We propose a greater emphasis on media education in Poland across all levels of education. Consideration should be given to the creation of dedicated subjects focusing on media literacy in primary and high schools. Additionally, on a higher education level, there should be programs tailored to students from various fields, as the issue of fake news spans a wide range of topics.