Epistemic Justification in Multiple Document Literacy

• In Event: Poster Session 4: Reading and Reasoning Across Sources

Abstract

This study investigated the effects of a refutation text intervention on teacher education students’ (n = 150) beliefs about justification for knowing and their justifications for document selections in a multiple document task. Participants were randomly assigned to one of three conditions in which they read a refutation text that promoted the conception that an appropriate way to judge the trustworthiness of information about educational topics is to rely on personal understanding and practical experience, the expertise of the author, or comparison of multiple sources. Results showed that participants’ beliefs about epistemic justification were strongly influenced by the intervention. Beyond effects on self-reported beliefs, effects on participants’ justifications for their document selections in a multiple document task were observed.

Authors

• Ivar Braten, University of Oslo

• Christian Brandmo, University of Oslo

• Leila Eve Ferguson, Høyskolen Kristiania

• Helge I. Stromso, University of Oslo