A1 Journal article (refereed)
Students' abilities to evaluate the credibility of online texts : The role of internet‐specific epistemic justifications (2021)

Hämäläinen, E. K., Kiili, C., Räikkönen, E., & Marttunen, M. (2021). Students' abilities to evaluate the credibility of online texts : The role of internet‐specific epistemic justifications. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 37(5), 1409-1422. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcal.12580

JYU authors or editors

Publication details

All authors or editors: Hämäläinen, Elina K.; Kiili, Carita; Räikkönen, Eija; Marttunen, Miika

Journal or series: Journal of Computer Assisted Learning

ISSN: 0266-4909

eISSN: 1365-2729

Publication year: 2021

Publication date: 06/07/2021

Volume: 37

Issue number: 5

Pages range: 1409-1422

Publisher: Wiley

Publication country: United Kingdom

Publication language: English

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/jcal.12580

Publication open access: Openly available

Publication channel open access: Partially open access channel

Publication is parallel published (JYX): https://jyx.jyu.fi/handle/123456789/77117

Abstract

Previous evaluation studies have rarely used authentic online texts and investigated upper secondary school students' use of evaluation criteria and deep reasoning. The associations between internet-specific epistemic justifications for knowing and credibility evaluation of online texts are not yet fully understood among adolescents. This study investigated upper secondary school students' (N = 372) abilities to evaluate self-selected authentic online texts and the role of internet-specific epistemic justifications in students' evaluation performance when solving a health-related information problem. Students selected three texts with Google Custom Search Engine and evaluated their credibility. Students' evaluation performance across the three texts was determined according to the different aspects evaluated (author, venue, intentions, evidence and corroboration) and the depth of their evaluations. Students also filled in the Internet-Specific Epistemic Justifications (ISEJ) inventory previously validated with pre-service teachers. The results revealed considerable differences in students' abilities to evaluate online texts. Students' beliefs in justification by authority and justification by multiple sources positively predicted their evaluation performance similarly in both topics. The findings suggest that the ISEJ inventory is also valid for upper secondary school students. Students should be explicitly taught to evaluate different credibility aspects and scaffolded to deeply engage with online information.

Keywords: online material; Internet; evaluation; information literacy; media literacy; source criticism; credibility; statement of reasons; young people

Free keywords: adolescents; credibility evaluation; internet-specific epistemic justifications; justifications forknowing; online inquiry; sourcing

Contributing organizations

Related projects

Ministry reporting: Yes

Reporting Year: 2022

JUFO rating: 2