SKILLS FOR CRITICAL EVALUATION OF INTERNET INFORMATION AMONG HEALTHCARE STUDENTS
Keywords:
healthcare students, web information evaluation, assessmentAbstract
The ability to critically evaluate online information is crucial for academic success and lifelong learning, influencing how students structure arguments and integrate new knowledge. The research paper focuses on healthcare students' critical evaluation skills of internet information. The study utilized a self-reported questionnaire to assess healthcare students' abilities, revealing a lack of skills in evaluating web resources. The assessment tool developed for the study was validated and found to have a high level of internal consistency. The mean score of students for critical evaluation of web information was 34.61 with a standard deviation of 7.895, and the scores varied between a minimum of 14 and a maximum of 54. No statistically significant differences were found in the scores based on students' gender, year of study, or age. The findings suggest a critical need for ongoing development and implementation of targeted educational interventions to enhance students' ability to evaluate web resources effectively in the digital age.
References
Argelagós, E., Garcia, C., Privado, J., & Wopereis, I. (2022). Fostering information problem solving skills through online task-centred instruction in higher education. Computers and Education, 180, 104433. doi:10.1016/j.compedu.2022.104433
Cárdenas Ruiz, H., Cifuentes Muñoz, Y., Garzón Zea, N., & Rubiano Barriga, C. (2012). Evaluación de fuentes de información en internet por parte de profesores y estudiantes universitarios : aproximación a sus creencias epistemológicas personales. doi:10.11144/javeriana.10554.3165
Casillas, S., Cabezas, M., Ibarra, M. S., & Rodríguez, G. (2017). Evaluation of digital competence from a gender perspective. TEEM 2017: Proceedings of the 5th International Conference on Technological Ecosystems for Enhancing Multiculturality, (pp. 1-5). doi:10.1145/3144826.314537
Chen, Y. (2022). Quality Evaluation of Student Education Management Work Based on Wireless Network Data Mining. Mathematical Problems in Engineering, 1, 9182420. doi:10.1155/2022/9182420
Fielding, J. A. (2019). Rethinking CRAAP: Getting students thinking like fact-checkers in evaluating web sources. College and Research Libraries News, 80(11). doi:10.5860/crln.80.11.620
García, C., Argelagós, E., & Privado, J. (2023). Information skills instruction in Higher Education students using the 4C/ID model. International Conference on Higher Education Advances (HEAd) (pp. 137-144). Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. doi:10.4995/HEAd23.2023.16149
Hahnel, C., Eichmann, B., & Goldhammer, F. (2020). Evaluation of Online Information in University Students: Development and Scaling of the Screening Instrument EVON. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, 562128. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2020.562128
Kanmaz, B., & Buduneli, N. (2021). Evaluation of information quality on the internet for periodontal disease patients. Oral Diseases, 27(2), 348-356. doi:10.1111/odi.13546
Kofo, S. A., & Mercy, O. I. (2018). Gender influence on undergraduates’ information literacy skills in the use of internet resources for learning in Kwara State, Nigeria. Malaysian Online Journal of Educational Sciences, 6(3), 12-19.
Lapšanský, Š., & Lang, J. (2022). Modeling an author's specific expertise based on educational-related artifacts analysis. IEEE 16th International Scientific Conference on Informatics (Informatics) (pp. 208-213). Poprad, Slovakia: IEEE. doi:10.1109/Informatics57926.2022.10083457
Marttunen, M., Salminen, T., & Utriainen, J. (2021). Student evaluations of the credibility and argumentation of online sources. The Journal of Educational Research, 114(3), 294-305. doi:10.1080/00220671.2021.1929052
McGrew, S., Reynolds, E. C., & Glass, A. C. (2024). The Problem With Perspective: Students’ and Teachers’ Reasoning About Credibility During Discussions of Online Sources. Cognition and Instruction, 42(3), 399-425. doi:10.1080/07370008.2024.2340981
Miller, C. E., Ward, J. B., Yoganantham, D. C., & Bond, A. (2021). Evaluation of internet derived patient information for Acute Pancreatitis. Ulster Medical Journal, 90(1), 7-9.
Miller, K. (2016). Secondary School Students Ascribe Value to Presentation, Accuracy, and Currency in their Evaluation of Web-Based Information. Evidence Based Library and Information Practice, 11(1), 79-81. doi:10.18438/B8NW44
Mishra, S., Fegley, B. D., Diesner, J., & Torvik, V. I. (2018). Expertise as an aspect of author contributions. Workshop on Informetric and Scientometric Research SIGMET - Metrics 2018. Vancouver BC.
Molerov, D., Zlatkin-Troitschanskaia, O., Nagel, M.-T., Brückner, S., Schmidt, S., & Shavelson, R. J. (2020). Assessing University Students' Critical Online Reasoning Ability: A Conceptual and Assessment Framework With Preliminary Evidence. Frontiers in Education, 5. doi:10.3389/FEDUC.2020.577843
Owens, J., & Lilly, F. (2017). The influence of academic discipline, race, and gender on web-use skills among graduate-level students. Journal of Computing in Higher Education, 29, 286-308. doi:10.1007/S12528-017-9137-1
Parsazadeh, N., Ali, R., & Saeed, I. I. (2015). Digital information evaluation skills among students in higher education. Jurnal Teknologi, 75(11). doi:10.11113/jt.v75.5336
Pimentel, D. R. (2024). Learning to evaluate sources of science (mis)information on the internet: Assessing students' scientific online reasoning. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, Early view. doi:10.1002/tea.21974
Shenton, A. K., Pickard, A. J., & Johnson, A. (2014). Information evaluation and the individual’s cognitive state: Some insights from a study of British teenaged users. IFLA Journal, 40(4). doi:10.1177/0340035214551708
Small, R. V., & Arnone, M. P. (1999). Evaluating Web Sites: A Critical Information Skill. IASL Conference Proceedings (Birmingham, Usa): Unleash the Power - Knowledge, Technology, Diversity. Birmingham. doi:10.29173/iasl8148
Taylor, A., & Dalal, H. A. (2017). Gender and Information Literacy: Evaluation of Gender Differences in a Student Survey of Information Sources. College & Research Libraries, 78(1), 90. doi:10.5860/crl.78.1.90
Tuzahra, F. (2021). Reading online: Evaluation of online sources credibility. Journal of Research on Language Education, 2(1), 32-36. doi:10.33365/JORLE.V2I1.1007
UC Berkeley. (2024, February 2). Evaluating Resources: Home. Retrieved August 11, 2024, from Berkley Library, University of California: https://guides.lib.berkeley.edu/evaluating-resources
Vuong, Q.-H., Le, T.-T., La, V.-P., & Nguyen, M.-H. (2022). The psychological mechanism of internet information processing for post-treatment evaluation. 50 Heliyon, 8(5), E09351. doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e09351
Ziv, N., & Bene, E. (2022). Preparing College Students for a Digital Age: A Survey of Instructional Approaches to Spotting Misinformation. College and Research Libraries, 83(6). doi:10.5860/crl.83.6.905
Zlatkin-Troitschanskaia, O., Hartigb, J., Goldhammer, F., & Krstev, J. (2021). Students’ online information use and learning progress in higher education – A critical literature review. Studies in Higher Education, 46(10), 1996-2021. doi:10.1080/03075079.2021.1953336
