Abstract
Over the past decade, attention has been given to media studies syllabus development and there is now considerable international consensus about the objectives of media studies. The objectives focus on the processes by which audiences can make sense of, then critique the media. This paper examines the outcomes of these initiatives for a group of 15-year-old students in the Western Australian government school system. Information is provided about a sample testing program which investigated the extent to which the students were meeting the media analysis objectives. The test items cover both print and television analysis. The results provide information about the general cohort's capacity to make sense of the media messages and about the performance of particular demographic groups. On the basis of the strengths and weaknesses revealed in the testing program, some adjustments to present teaching programs are proposed.