The Impact of Media Literacy and Social Identity on Teachers’ Lifestyle

This study examined the impact of media literacy and social identity on physical education (PE) teachers’ life styles in Surabaya, Indonesia. Drawing on social identity and cultural capital theories, this study interrogated how teachers juggle global media powers and local customs. Data were collected from 189 PE teachers in high schools using three measures: 1) Falsafi and Niroomand’s (2015) 20-item Media Literacy Questionnaire, 2) Yazıcı’s (2016) 28-item Identity Scale, and 3) an adapted version of Wilson’s (1983) FANTASTIC Lifestyle Inventory. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) analysis confirmed that media literacy significantly boosted social identity and had a significant impact on lifestyle choices. Social identity forecasted lifestyle signigficantly and mediated the media literacy-lifestyle relationship as well. Findings indicated that greater media literacy improved social identity, which in turn nurtured lifestyles with blends of local values and global teaching models. The results identify PE teachers as cultural mediators and emphasize the necessity of comprehensive professional development programs.