Vol. 4 No. 1 (2026):
Artículos

Disinformation, emotion, and cognition.: Critical literacy education versus hate speech

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  • Carmen Rosa García Ruiz,
  • José Luis Zorrilla Luque
Carmen Rosa García Ruiz
Facultad de Ciencias de la Educación. Universidad de Málaga
José Luis Zorrilla Luque
Facultad de Ciencias de la Educación. Universidad de Málaga.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.51896/easc.v4i1.1242

Published 2026-05-30

Keywords

  • Disinformation,
  • emotion,
  • cognition,
  • prejudice,
  • social problems,
  • hate speech,
  • critical thinking,
  • critical literacy,
  • democracy,
  • citizenship education
    • ...More
    Less

How to Cite

García Ruiz, C. R., & Zorrilla Luque, J. L. (2026). Disinformation, emotion, and cognition.: Critical literacy education versus hate speech. Revista Internacional De Educación Y Análisis Social Crítico Mañé, Ferrer & Swartz, 4(1), 486–531. https://doi.org/10.51896/easc.v4i1.1242
Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

Abstract

Adolescence is particularly vulnerable to disinformation due to its extensive interaction in digital environments. Previous research shows that, in educational contexts, students reinforce emotional and cognitive biases that act as obstacles when analyzing socially relevant issues. Within the socio-critical epistemological paradigm, research based on the narrative method was developed to understand how students confront their own beliefs and prejudices when engaging in discursive practices that analyze hate speech directed against migrant groups. An educational intervention based on critical literacy processes was designed to reflect on and debate how disinformation erodes democratic principles and values. The intervention was implemented in two schools with distinct socioeconomic and cultural characteristics. The non-probabilistic sample consisted of 135 secondary and high school students. The results indicate that simply being aware of how prejudice limits our ability to understand media and migration phenomena is not enough; emotional involvement, intellectually honest cognitive practice, and ethical commitment are also necessary. We conclude that to advance a complex understanding of the relationship between one's own identity and that of others, it is essential to recognize their vulnerability and their status as citizens.

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