How Brazil’s Unified University Entrance Exam (ENEM) Impacts Media Literacy Education

Sep 5, 2026

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Research examines how ENEM’s media-literate dimensions affect media literacy education in Brazil. The study performs content analysis of exam questions drawn from newspaper excerpts, online news, and other media, then follows with qualitative interviews of eleven high school teachers who coach students for the test. Findings indicate a strong dominance of traditional media and a tendency to portray government positively, while interview data show major impacts on teaching practices and students’ media consumption, alongside regional bias and limited promotion of critical thinking.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages18

Reading Time45 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Background: What ENEM Is and How It Works

Shift From Content Knowledge to Competencies

Role of Real-Life and Current Events

Research Design and Methods

Content Analysis of Exam Questions

Qualitative Teacher Interviews

Findings: Media Sources and Teaching Effects

Prevalence of Traditional Media

Government Framing and Avoidance of Controversial Issues

Teacher Perceptions and Regional Bias

Discussion and Conclusion

Functional Media Literacy vs. Student Authority

D. Venticinque & A. Whitworth | Journal of Media Literacy Education 2018 10(3), 95-112 Available online [at www.jmle.org](at www.jmle.org) The National Association for Media Literacy Education’s Journal of Media Literacy Education 10 (3), 95-112 How Brazil’s Unified University Entrance Exam (ENEM) Impacts Media Literacy Education Danilo Venticinque Andrew Whitworth University of Manchester, UK ABSTRACT This article discusses the outcomes of research into the media literacy aspects of ENEM (Exame Nacional do Ensino Médio), Brazil's unified university entrance exam, which contains a significant number of exam questions based on excerpts from newspaper articles, online news and other media sources. Through content analysis, these questions are classified according to the platform (digital or print) and source (traditional media, niche media and government agencies) . The results show a strong prevalence of traditional media, either in print or digital platforms, and a tendency to present the government in a positive light, avoiding issues such as the series of protests that took place in Brazil in 2013 and 2014, as well as the impeachment of the president in 2016. The content analysis is followed by the qualitative study of eleven interviews with high school teachers who prepare students for the exam. Their answers suggest that the exam has a profound influence on their teaching and the media consumption habits of students. Teachers also mention regional bias in the exam and a lack of questions that encourage critical thinking. The conclusion is that though the ENEM exam does engage Brazilian high school students with media content, it addresses media literacy at only a functional level, and centralises authority over the interpretation of this content, rather than encouraging students to develop their own authoritative interpretations. Keywords: ENEM, Media literacy, Brazil This article discusses the outcomes of research into the media literacy aspects of ENEM (Exame Nacional do Ensino Médio), Brazil's unified university entrance exam. On the surface the exam appears to be a means by which media literacy education, and engagement with news media, can enter the mainstream of a secondary education system in line with ways suggested by Renee Hobbs amongst others (1997, 1998, 2005) . The research was undertaken to determine how the structure and content of the exam influences how media literacy is taught in Brazil, and whether the exam allows learners to engage with media content in ways which helps them assert authority over it (Hamelink 1976) . D. Venticinque & A. Whitworth | Journal of Media Literacy Education 2018 10(3), 95-112 Created in 1998, Brazil’s ENEM (Exame Nacional do Ensino Medio, or National Exam of Secondary Education) was, at first, an exam designed to evaluate the educational system in Brazil, but eventually it replaced traditional university entrance exams. Previously, each Brazilian university would organise and implement its own entrance exam with a syllabus loosely based on guidelines from the Ministry of Education. Such exams, which were content-focused and often required memorisation of facts and figures (INEP, 2007), had been widely criticised by teachers and students. In contrast, ENEM is built to evaluate not the knowledge of content, but competencies and abilities developed during secondary education. A government document detailing the foundations of ENEM lists 21 such abilities and competencies, which include “confronting diverse interpretations of situations and facts of historicgeographic, technic-scientific, artistic-culture or daily nature, comparing different points of view, identifying assumptions of each interpretation and analysing the validity of arguments,”“being able to compare processes of socioeconomic formation, relating to their historic and geographic contexts,” and “given a set of pieces of information about a historic/geographic reality, contextualise and order

FAQs

How does ENEM influence media literacy education in Brazil?

ENEM affects teaching choices and students’ media consumption by embedding media content into exam questions. Teachers report the test strongly shapes how media literacy is addressed in the classroom.

What kinds of media sources dominate the ENEM exam questions?

Content analysis shows a strong prevalence of traditional media, presented through both print and digital platforms. Questions often use excerpts from newspapers, online news, and other media.

What limitations related to critical thinking are mentioned by teachers?

Teachers indicate a lack of questions that encourage critical thinking. They also highlight regional bias in the exam and describe how that bias affects preparation.

Sep 5, 2026

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