21世纪文化全球化背景下媒体与技术的深度结合，改变了我们了解世界的方式，同时也对教育的基础产生了挑战。人们不仅要能够阅读纸质文本，儿童、青年人和成人都需要具备批判性理解多媒体文化中的影像和运用多种媒体表达自我的能力。媒体素养即是多媒体时代人们生活、工作和作为公民所必须具备的能力。媒体素养教育作为一种旨在提升媒体素养水平的新型教育，同教育信息化一道，正日益成为人们关注的焦点。目前，由于各国的媒体观、媒体素养观存在差异，形成了各自不同的媒体素养教育理论，正深刻影响着相关实践。我国近年来也开始关注媒体素养教育，有必要对其理论进行深入系统的研究。美国作为世界媒体产业最发达的国家，其媒体素养教育理论的形成与发展十分值得关注。本研究将美国媒体素养教育理论的形成与发展阶段分为萌芽期、过渡期和形成期，对各时期的主要理论及其对教育实践的影响进行了深入分析。论文由五个部分组成。第一部分为绪论，包括问题提出、研究意义、概念界定、文献综述和研究思路与研究方法等；第二章对媒体素养教育理论萌芽期的“魔弹论”、有限效果论、涵化理论进行分析并指出它对教育实践的影响。第三章主要探讨了理论过渡期“媒体素养”的基本概念和标准、媒体素养认知理论、媒体素养的基本框架等。第四章对理论形成时期媒体素养教育学者明确提出的“媒体素养教育”理论体系进行了分析，包括媒体素养教育的核心原则和目标体系等。第五部分是特征分析与启示，即美国媒体素养教育理论发展的特征分析及对我国的启示。本研究认为，美国媒体素养教育经历了近一个世纪的探索发展，取得了有目共睹的成绩。目前大部分州的共同核心标准中已在英语语言、艺术、公民学等课程中融入媒体素养的相关内容，此外美国拥有世界上最多的学术机构和组织参与媒体素养教育的研究与实践，并有专门的学术期刊得以出版。总之，美国的媒体素养教育正表现出充足的活力，其理论的成长于发展将为处于起步阶段的我国媒体素养教育理论建构提供更多的参照和借鉴。

With the arrival of 21st century, the convergence of media and technology in a global culture is changing the way we learn about the world and challenging the very foundations of education. No longer is it enough to be able to read the printed word, children, youth, and adults, too, need the ability to both critically interpret the powerful images of a multimedia culture and express themselves in multiple media forms. Media literacy is just the essential ability needed for living, working and citizenship in this multimedia age. Media literacy education is the new education which aims to improve the level of media literacy, herewith the education informationization, it is now becoming the focus of concern. At the moment, because of the different theories of media, media literacy in many countries, their practices of media literacy education show out great diversity. In recent years, more and more researchers in China began pay attention on media literacy education, so it is necessary to study its theory deeply and systematically. The USA has the most developed media industry in the world, its theory changes of media literacy education worthy enormous attention.The study divide the process of American media literacy education’s theory formation and development into three stages: embryonic , transitional and formation period. This paper is made up of five chapters. The first is the introduction, it includes problem posing, research meaning concepts definition, literature review and research approach and methods. The second analyzed the “Magic Bullet”, Limited Effects and Cultivation theory in the embryonic stage and their influence on media literacy education. The third chapter concerns the Cognitive theory and the Basic Framework of media literacy etc. In the fourth section, theories on media literacy education has being analyzed, they are core principles of media literacy education and goal system. The last part is the characteristics analysis and the revelations for our country.The study suggests that after nearly a century’s exploration and development, media literacy education in the United States has made remarkable achievements. Now most of the states’ common core curriculum standards contain the content about media literacy education either in English language, or in arts and citizenship objects. Otherwise, the United States has the most academic institutes and organization which participate into the research and practice, and even possessed the academic journal named “Journal of Media Literacy Education” All in all, America's media literacy education is showing plenty of energy, its development and integrity of theory can surely provide much more consult and reference for the theoretical construction of media literacy education in our country.