Wikipedia Hesitancy as an Obstacle to Civic Online Reasoning

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Friday 11:45 am - Gold 2
  In Roundtable Session: Students’ Meaning Making with Media Literacy

Abstract

Students need civic online reasoning skills to evaluate online information. Popular curricula emphasize wise use of Wikipedia for initial research on unfamiliar topics. We asked undergraduates (N = 378) in a general education civics course to decide whether an opinion piece posted to an academic website versus a well-developed Wikipedia page was a better place to start research on controversial topics. Only 30.7% initially selected Wikipedia, which increased to 42.1% after completing the civic online reasoning curriculum. Students voiced concerns about Wikipedia’s reliability and described how teachers discouraged its use. This suggests that media literacy interventions should target teachers and students to increase awareness of how Wikipedia maintains high standards and its utility as a tool for evaluating information.

Authors

• Christopher Donnan Gravelle, CUNY Graduate Center

• Patricia J. Brooks, Graduate Center - CUNY

• Arshia K. Lodhi, Graduate Center - CUNY

• Kyler Cromer, Hunter College

• Donna Scimeca, College of Staten Island - CUNY