Searching the Web to learn about a controversial topic: Are students epistemically active?

Instructional Science

Volumn 38, Issue 6, 2010, Pages 607-633

  Mason, Lucia ^a   Boldrin, Angela ^a   Ariasi, Nicola ^a  

^a UNIVERSITY OF PADOVA   (Italy)

Author keywords

Critical thinking; Epistemic beliefs; Epistemic metacognition; Epistemological beliefs; Information searching; New literacy

Indexed keywords

EID: 77958141943     PISSN: 00204277     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1007/s11251-008-9089-y     Document Type: Article

References (89)

1. Agosto, D. E. (2002). A model of young people's decision-making in using the Web. Library & Information Science Research, 24, 311-341. doi: 10. 1016/S0740-8188(02)00131-7.
2. Alexander, P. A., & Jetton, T. L. (2003). Learning from traditional and alternative texts: New conceptualizations for the information age. In S. R. Goldman, A. C. Graesser, & M. A. Gernsbacher (Eds.), Handbook of discourse processes (pp. 199-241). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
3. Amichai-Hamburger, Y., & Adi Fine, O. K. (2007). The effect of need for cognition on Internet use. Computers in Human Behavior, 23, 880-891. doi: 10. 1016/j. chb. 2006. 03. 002.
4. Bannert, M., & Mengelkamp, C. (2008). Assessment of metacognitive skills by means of instruction to think aloud and reflect when prompted. Does the verbalisation method affect learning? Metacognition and Learning, 3, 39-58. doi: 10. 1007/s11409-007-9009-6.
5. Bilal, D. (2000). Children's use of the Yahooligans! Web search engine: I. Cognitive, physical, and affective behaviors on fact-based search tasks. Journal of the American Society for Information Science, 51, 646-665. doi: 10. 1002/(SICI)1097-4571(2000)51: 7& lt; 646:: AID-ASI7& gt; 3. 0. CO; 2-A.
6. Bilal, D. (2001). Children's use of the Yahooligans! Web search engine: II. Cognitive and physical behaviors on research task. Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, 52, 118-136. doi: 10. 1002/1097-4571(2000)9999: 9999& lt;:: AID-ASI1038& gt; 3. 0. CO; 2-R.
7. Brand-Gruwel, S., Wopereis, I., & Vermetten, Y. (2005). Information problem solving by experts and novices: Analysis of a complex cognitive skill. Computers in Human Behavior, 21, 487-508. doi: 10. 1016/j. chb. 2004. 10. 005.
8. Bråten, I., Gil, L., Storey, J., Strømsø, H. I., Vidal-Abarca, E., & Britt, M. A.(2008, March). Personal epistemology across cultures: Exploring the dimensionality of topic-specific epistemic beliefs in Norway, Spain, and the United States. Paper Presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, New York, USA.
9. Bråten, I., & Strømsø, H. I. (2006). Epistemological beliefs, interest, and gender as predictors of Internet-based learning activities. Computers in Human Behavior, 22, 1027-1042. doi: 10. 1016/j. chb. 2004. 03. 026.
10. Bråten, I., & Strømsø, H. I. (in press). Effects of task instruction and personal epistemology on the understanding of multiple texts about climate change. Discourse Processes.
11. Bråten, I., Strømsø, H. I., & Samuelstuen, M. S. (2005). The relationship between Internet-specific epistemological beliefs and learning within Internet technologies. Journal of Educational Computing Research, 33, 141-171. doi: 10. 2190/E763-X0LN-6NMF-CB86.
12. Brem, S. K., Russell, J., & Weems, L. (2001). Science on the Web: Student evaluations of scientific arguments. Discourse Processes, 32, 191-213. doi: 10. 1207/S15326950DP3202& 3_06.
13. Bromme, R., Kienhues, D., & Stahl, E. (2008). Knowledge and epistemological beliefs: An intimate but complicate relationship. In M. S. Khine (Ed.), Knowing, knowledge and beliefs: Epistemological studies across diverse cultures (pp. 399-416). New York: Springer.
14. Buehl, M. M., & Alexander, P. A. (2005). Motivation and performance differences in students' domain-specific epistemological belief profiles. American Educational Research Journal, 42, 687-726. doi: 10. 3102/00028312042004697.
15. Buehl, M. M., Alexander, P. A., & Murphy, P. K. (2002). Beliefs about schooled knowledge: Domain specific or domain general? Contemporary Educational Psychology, 27, 415-449. doi: 10. 1006/ceps. 2001. 1103.
16. Cacioppo, J. T., Petty, R. E., Feinstein, J. A., & Jarvis, W. G. (1996). Dispositional differences in cognitive motivation: The life and times of individuals varying in need for cognition. Psychological Bulletin, 119, 197-253. doi: 10. 1037/0033-2909. 119. 2. 197.
17. Chi, M. T. H. (1997). Quantifying qualitative analyses of verbal data: A practical guide. Journal of the Learning Sciences, 6, 271-315. doi: 10. 1207/s15327809jls0603_1.
18. Clark, D. B., & Slotta, J. D. (2000). Evaluating media-enhancement and source authority on the Internet: the Knowledge Integration Environment. International Journal of Science Education, 22, 859-871. doi: 10. 1080/095006900412310.
19. Coiro, J. (2003). Reading comprehension on the Internet: Expanding our understanding of reading comprehension to encompass new literacies. The Reading Teacher, 56, 458-464. Retrieved from http://www. readingonline. org/electronic/rt/2-03.
20. Conley, A. M., Pintrich, P. R., Vekiri, J., & Harrison, D. (2004). Changes in epistemological beliefs in elementary science students. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 29, 186-204. doi: 10. 1016/j. cedpsych. 2004. 01. 004.
21. Cornoldi, C., & Soresi, S. (1980). Psychological diagnosis of learning difficulties [La diagnosi psicologica delle difficoltà di apprendimento]. Pordenone, Italy: ERIP. (in Italian).
22. Cotton, D., & Gresty, K. (2006). Reflecting on the think-aloud method for evaluating e-learning. British Journal of Educational Technology, 37, 45-54. doi: 10. 1111/j. 1467-8535. 2005. 00521. x.
23. Dai, D. Y., & Wang, X. (2007). The role of need for cognition and reader beliefs in text comprehension and interest development. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 32, 332-347. doi: 10. 1016/j. cedpsych. 2006. 05. 002.
24. diSessa, A. A., Elby, A., & Hammer, D. (2003). J's epistemological stance and strategies. In G. M. Sinatra & P. R. Pintrich (Eds.), Intentional conceptual change (pp. 237-290). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
25. Dominowski, R. L. (1998). Verbalization and problem solving. In D. Hacker, J. Dunlosky, & A. C. Graesser (Eds.), Metacognition in educational theory and practice (pp. 25-45). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
26. Eisenberg, M. B., & Berkowitz, R. E. (2000). The BIG6 collection: The best of the Big6 newsletter. Worthington, OH: Linworth.
27. Ericsson, K. A., & Simon, H. A. (1993). Protocol analysis. Verbal reports as data (revised edition). Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press.
28. Fidel, R., Davies, R. K., Douglass, M. H., Holder, J. K., Hopkins, C. J., Kurshner, E. J., et al. (1999). A visit to the information mall: Web searching behaviour of high school student. Journal of American Society for Information Science, 50, 24-37.
29. Hartley, K., & Bendixen, L. D. (2001). Educational research in the internet age: Examining the role of individual characteristics. Educational Researcher, 30, 22-26.
30. Hess, B. (1999). Graduate student cognition during information retrieval using the World Wide Web: A pilot study. Computers & Education, 33, 1-13.
31. Hirsh, S. (1999). Children's relevance criteria and information seeking on electronic resources. Journal of the American Society for Information Science, 50, 1265-1283.
32. Hofer, B. K. (2000). Dimensionality and disciplinary differences in personal epistemology. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 25, 378-405.
33. Hofer, B. K. (2004). Epistemological understanding as a metacognitive process: Thinking aloud during online searching. Educational Psychologist, 39, 43-55.
34. Hofer, B. K., & Pintrich, P. R. (1997). The development of epistemological theories: Beliefs about knowledge and knowing and their relation to learning. Review of Educational Research, 67, 88-140.
35. Hofer, B. K., & Pintrich, P. R. (Eds.). (2002). Personal epistemology: The psychology of beliefs about knowledge and knowing. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
36. International Reading Association. (2001). Integrating literacy and technology in the curriculum: A position statement. Retrieved from http://www. reading. org/downloads/positions/ps1048_technology. pdf.
37. Jacobson, M. J., & Spiro, R. J. (1995). Hypertext learning environments, cognitive flexibility, and the transfer of complex knowledge: An empirical investigation. Journal of Educational Computing Research, 12, 301-333.
38. Kafai, Y., & Bates, M. J. (1997). Internet Web-searching instruction in the elementary classroom: Building a foundation for information literacy. School Library Media Quarterly (Winter), 103-111.
39. Karabenick, S., & Moosa, S. (2005). Culture and personal epistemology: U. S. and Middle Eastern students' beliefs about scientific knowledge and knowing. Social Psychology of Education, 8, 375-393.
40. Kardash, C. M., & Scholes, R. J. (1996). Effects of preexisting beliefs, epistemological beliefs, and need for cognition on interpretation of controversial issue. Journal of Educational Psychology, 88, 260-271.
41. King, P. A., & Kitchener, K. S. (1994). Developing reflective judgement. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
42. King, P. A., & Kitchener, K. S. (2002). The reflective judgment model: Twenty years of research on epistemic cognition. In B. K. Hofer & P. R. Pintrich (Eds.), Personal epistemology: The psychology of beliefs about knowledge and knowing (pp. 37-61). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
43. Kitchener, K. S. (1983). Cognition, metacognition, and epistemic cognition. Human Development, 26, 222-232.
44. Kuhn, D. (1991). The skills of argument. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press.
45. Kuhn, D. (1999). A developmental model of critical thinking. Educational Researcher, 28, 16-25. 46.
46. Kuhn, D. (2000). Metacognitive development. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 9, 178-181.
47. Kuhn, D., Cheney, R., & Weinstock, M. (2000). The development of epistemological understanding. Cognitive Development, 15, 309-328.
48. Kuhn, D., & Weinstock, M. (2002). What is epistemological thinking and why does it matter? In B. K. Hofer & P. R. Pintrich (Eds.), Personal epistemology: The psychology of beliefs about knowledge and knowing (pp. 121-144). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
49. Kuiper, E., Volman, M., & Terwel, J. (2005). The web as an information resource in K-12 education: Strategies for supporting students in searching and processing information. Review of Educational Research, 75, 285-313.
50. Land, S. M., & Greene, B. A. (2000). Project-based learning with the World Wide Web: A qualitative study of resource integration. Educational Technology Research and Development, 48, 45-68.
51. Lawless, K. A., & Kulikowich, J. M. (1998). Domain knowledge, interest, and hypertext navigation: A study of individual differences. Journal of Multimedia and Hypermedia, 7, 51-69.
52. Leu, D. J. (2002). Literacy and technology: Deictic consequences for literacy education in an information age. In M. L. Kamil, P. B. Mosenthal, P. D. Pearson, & R. Barr (Eds.), Handbook of reading research (pp. 743-770). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
53. Lin, C. C., & Tsai, C. C. (2007). A "navigation flow map" method of representing students' searching behaviors and strategies on the Web. CyberPsychology and Behavior, 10, 689-695.
54. Louca, L., Elby, A., Hammer, D., & Kagey, T. (2004). Epistemological resources: Applying a new epistemological framework to science instruction. Educational Psychologist, 39, 57-68.
55. Macpherson, R., & Stanovich, K. E. (2007). Cognitive ability, thinking dispositions, and instructional set as predictors of critical thinking. Learning and Individual Differences, 17, 115-127.
56. MaKinster, J. G., Beghetto, R. A., & Plucker, J. A. (2002). Why can't I find Newton's third law? Case studies of students' use of the Web as a Science Resource. Journal of Science Education and Technology, 11, 155-171.
57. Marchionini, G., Dwiggins, S., Katz, A., & Lin, X. (1993). Information seeking in full-text and user oriented search systems: The role of domain and search expertise. Library and Information Science Research, 15, 35-69.
58. Mason, L. (2000). Role of anomalous data and epistemological beliefs in middle students' theory change on two controversial topics. European Journal of Psychology of Education, 15, 329-346.
59. Mason, L., & Boldrin, A. (2008). Epistemic metacognition in the context of information searching on the Web. In M. S. Khine (Ed.), Knowing, knowledge and beliefs: Epistemological studies across diverse cultures (pp. 377-404). New York: Springer.
60. Mason, L., & Boscolo, P. (2004). Role of epistemological understanding and interest in interpreting a controversy and in topic-specific belief change. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 29, 103-128.
61. Mason, L., & Gava, M. (2007). Effects of epistemological beliefs and learning text structure on conceptual change. In S. Vosniadou, A. Baltas, & X. Vamvakoussi (Eds.), Reframing the conceptual change approach in learning and instruction (pp. 165-197). Oxford, UK: Elsevier.
62. Mason, L., & Scirica, F. (2006). Prediction of students' argumentation skills about controversial topic by epistemological understanding. Learning and Instruction, 16, 492-509.
63. Milner, B. (1971). Interhemispheric differences in the localization of psychological processes in man. British Medical Bullettin, 27, 272-277.
64. Muis, K. R. (2007). The role of epistemic beliefs in self-regulated learning. Educational Psychologist, 42, 173-190.
65. Muis, K. R. (2008). Epistemic profiles and self-regulated learning: Examining relations in the context of mathematics problem solving. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 33, 177-208.
66. Nuckles, M., & Bromme, R. (2002). Internet experts' planning of explanations for laypersons: A Web experimental approach in the Internet domain. Experimental Psychology, 49, 292-304.
67. Nunnally, J. C. (1978). Psychometric theory. New York: McGraw Hill.
68. Park, Y., & Black, J. B. (2007). Identifying the impact of domain knowledge and cognitive style on Web-based information search behaviour. Journal of Educational Computing Research, 36, 15-37.
69. Qian, G., & Alvermann, D. (1995). Role of epistemological beliefs and learned helpleness in secondary school student' leaning science concepts from text. Journal of Educational Psychology, 87, 282-292.
70. Rogers, D., & Swan, K. (2004). Self-regulated learning and Internet searching. Teachers College Record, 106, 1804-1824.
71. Schacter, J., Chung, G., & Dorr, A. (1998). Children's Internet searching on complex problems: Performance and process analyses. Journal of the American Society for Information Science, 49, 840-849.
72. Schommer, M. (1990). Effects of beliefs about the nature of knowledge on comprehension. Journal of Educational Psychology, 82, 498-504.
73. Schraw, G., Dunkle, M. E., & Bendixen, L. D. (1995). Cognitive processes in well-defined and ill-defined problem solving. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 9, 523-538.
74. Sinatra, G. M., Southerland, S. A., McConaughy, F., & Demastes, J. (2003). Intentions and beliefs in students' understanding and acceptance of biological evolution. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 40, 510-528.
75. Southerland, S. A., & Sinatra, G. M. (2003). Learning about biological evolution: A special case of intentional conceptual change. In G. M. Sinatra & P. R. Pintrich (Eds.), Intentional conceptual change (pp. 317-345). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
76. Stahl, E., Pieschl, S., & Bromme, R. (2006). Task complexity, epistemological beliefs and metacognitive calibration: An exploratory study. Journal of Computing Research, 35, 319-338.
77. Stanovich, K. E. (1999). Who is rational? Studies in individual differences in reasoning. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
78. Strømsø, H. I., Bråten, I., & Samuelstuen, M. S. (2008). Dimensions of topic-specific epistemological beliefs as predictors of multiple-text understanding. Learning and Instruction, 18, 513-527.
79. Tsai, C. C. (2001). A review and discussion of epistemological commitments, metacognition, and critical thinking with suggestions on their enhancement in Internet-Assisted Chemistry. Journal of Chemical Education, 78, 970-974.
80. Tsai, C. C. (2004a). Beyond cognitive and metacognitive tools: The use of Internet as an "epistemological" tool for instruction. British Journal of Educational Technology, 35, 525-536.
81. Tsai, C. C. (2004b). Information commitments in Web-based learning environments. Innovations in Education and Teaching International, 41, 105-112.
82. Tsai, C. C. (2008). The use of Internet-based instruction for the development of epistemological beliefs: A case study in Taiwan. In M. S. Khine (Ed.), Knowing, knowledge and beliefs: Epistemological studies across diverse cultures (pp. 273-285). New York: Springer.
83. Tsai, C. C., & Chuang, S. C. (2005). The correlation between epistemological beliefs and preferences toward Internet-based learning environments. British Journal of Educational Technology, 36, 97-100.
84. Tu, Y. W., Shih, M., & Tsai, C. C. (2008). Eighth graders' web searching strategies and outcomes: The role of task types, web experiences and epistemological beliefs. Computers & Education, 51, 1142-1153.
85. Veenman, M. V. J., van Hout-Wolters, B. H. A. M., & Afflerbach, P. (2006). Metacognition and learning: Conceptual and methodological considerations. Metacognition and Learning, 1, 3-14.
86. Wallace, R. M., Kupperman, J., Krajcik, J., & Soloway, E. (2000). Science on the Web: Students online in a sixth-grade classroom. The Journal of the Learning Sciences, 9, 75-104.
87. Weinstock, M., Neuman, Y., & Tabak, I. (2004). Missing the point or missing the norms? Epistemological norms as predictors of students' ability to identify fallacious arguments. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 29, 77-94.
88. Whitmire, E. (2003). Epistemological beliefs and the information-seeking behaviour of undergraduates. Library and Information Science Research, 25, 127-142.
89. Zhang, S., & Duke, N. K. (2005). Strategies of Internet reading with different reading purposes. Paper Presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, San Francisco, CA.