Many Arab countries rank low on international indices measuring civil liberties, pluralism, and freedom of expression. While prior research on Arab media education has been limited in scope, this study aims to fill this gap by comprehensively evaluating media education curricula in the context of diversity, pluralism, rights, and freedoms. The research question focuses on how these crucial issues are addressed as learning objectives in Arab media education curricula. The study utilizes UNESCO's Media and Information Literacy (MIL) Curriculum for Educators and Learners as a framework for comparison and analysis, seeking to understand the extent to which Arab institutions incorporate the principles of diversity management within their educational programs. The context is particularly important given the often-suppressed state of these values in many Arab nations. This study seeks to determine the strengths and weaknesses of existing curricula in promoting these vital elements of a democratic and inclusive society. Its importance lies in informing curriculum reform to improve media education and contribute to positive societal changes. The study uses the UNESCO MIL curriculum as its benchmark for evaluation, answering the research questions of: 1) The proportion of focus on diversity and pluralism in the UNESCO curriculum; 2) The strengths and weaknesses of Arab curricula concerning diversity and pluralism; and 3) The specific courses that cultivate skills in managing diversity and pluralism.

Existing research on Arab media education has been fragmented, focusing on narrow aspects such as evaluating specific programs or departments within a single country, assessing faculty, student, or journalist attitudes, or comparing Arab curricula with non-Arab ones. This study addresses the limitations of this prior work by offering a broad, comparative analysis across multiple institutions and countries. The study grounds itself in the existing literature surrounding media literacy education (MLE) and its importance in fostering informed, engaged citizenship. This review cites several previous studies and documents that have looked at media literacy's role in different global contexts, including the UNESCO's MIL Curriculum, which offers a framework for assessing learning objectives related to managing diversity. Several studies have analyzed MLE curricula in various countries using UNESCO standards and compared the learning objectives across different educational systems. The review also highlights differences in integrating MLE into curricula, with some countries adopting a cross-curriculum approach, while others integrate it in separate courses.

This study employed a mixed-methods approach, combining quantitative and qualitative content analysis. The quantitative aspect involved a systematic review of the learning objectives contained within the UNESCO MIL curriculum and their categorization into relevant themes (e.g., human rights, pluralism, media ethics). The population of the study comprised all the media education study plans in Arab academic institutions. However, due to the difficulty in obtaining all plans, the researchers used a convenience sampling method, collecting data from readily accessible sources such as the websites of 21 media colleges, departments, and institutes in ten Arab countries (UAE, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt, Qatar, Yemen, Algeria, Tunisia, and Libya) during February-March 2022. The qualitative aspect involved a three-level content analysis of the collected curricula. The first level analyzed the learning objectives of the UNESCO MIL curriculum to identify those specifically related to diversity management. The second level categorized these objectives into broader themes, and the third level compared the Arab media education curricula against these themes to assess the presence, clarity, and specificity of corresponding learning objectives. The researchers defined strengths and weaknesses based on the clarity of these objectives within each curriculum. A strength was identified if an area of diversity management was clearly stated in general learning objectives or in at least one course description, and a weakness if no clear reference was found. This provided a structured and systematic assessment of how diversity, pluralism, rights, and freedoms are integrated into Arab media education.

Analysis of UNESCO's MIL curriculum (second edition) revealed that 79 of 238 (33.2%) learning objectives specifically addressed diversity management skills, which were categorized into five main areas: promoting human rights (32.9%), pluralism and democratic practice (21.5%), culture of dialogue and peace (16.5%), media ethics (16.5%), and promoting equality and combating discrimination (12.6%). The analysis of 21 Arab media education curricula showed that emphasis on adherence to media ethics was the most prominent strength. This was followed by emphasis on promoting a culture of dialogue and peace, and human rights promotion. However, the key weaknesses were the lack of clarity regarding pluralism and democratic practice, equality, and the empowerment of women. While some curricula included courses related to these themes, often within broader courses on contemporary issues or human rights, many lacked explicit learning objectives focused on diversity, pluralism, democratic participation, and the empowerment of women. The study identified specific courses that addressed diversity management within the examined curricula. These varied between institutions, with some offering standalone MIL courses, while others integrated relevant topics within existing courses, such as international communication, intercultural communication, media and development, and media criticism.

The findings highlight a discrepancy between the emphasis on diversity in the UNESCO MIL curriculum and its actual implementation in Arab media education curricula. Although Arab institutions demonstrate strengths in teaching media ethics and promoting peace and human rights, they fall short in explicitly addressing issues of pluralism, equality, and women's empowerment. This gap may be linked to socio-political realities and cultural contexts in some Arab nations, where such topics might be sensitive or restricted. The results suggest the need to adapt media literacy education to local needs, considering cultural nuances while aligning with global standards of inclusivity and democratic participation. A crucial implication is that media education programs need to incorporate these concepts in a meaningful way that is relevant to the Arab context, while acknowledging political and social challenges.

This study underscores the need for substantial reform in Arab media education curricula to better reflect the importance of diversity, pluralism, and human rights. While progress has been made in areas such as media ethics and the promotion of peace, significant improvements are needed to fully integrate learning objectives focused on pluralism, equality, and the empowerment of women. This necessitates a collaborative effort among policymakers, educators, and media professionals to develop tailored educational programs that empower students with the critical skills necessary for contributing to more just and equitable societies while remaining sensitive to the specific cultural contexts within the Arab world. Future research should investigate the lived experiences of students and professionals in relation to these curricula.

The study's limitations include the reliance on convenience sampling, which might not fully represent the diversity of Arab media education curricula. Additionally, the analysis focused primarily on learning objectives, without examining the actual teaching practices or their impact on student outcomes. Future research should explore these limitations further. The lack of complete data from all Arab media education institutions is a significant constraint on the generalizability of the findings. Further research should endeavor to collect data from a broader range of institutions for more comprehensive results.