Improving vocational students’ consideration of source information when deciding about science controversies

• Published in: Reading & writing Vol. 29; no. 4; pp. 705 - 729
• Main Authors: Stadtler, Marc, Scharrer, Lisa, Macedo-Rouet, Monica, Rouet, Jean-François, Bromme, Rainer
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dordrecht Springer Netherlands 01.04.2016; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Cognition; Cognition & reasoning; Comprehension; Consciousness Raising; Control Groups; Controversial Issues (Course Content); Credibility; Education; Grade 9; Inferences; Information; Information Sources; Internet; Interpersonal behavior; Language and Literature; Linguistics; Literacy; Neurology; Pretests Posttests; Professional education; Protocol Analysis; Psycholinguistics; Reading comprehension; Reading Skills; Resistance (Psychology); Science; Science Curriculum; Science Instruction; Scientific Principles; Secondary Education; Social Sciences; Teaching Methods; Training; Validity; Vocational Education; France; Text comprehension; Source evaluation; Science understanding; Division of cognitive labor
• ISSN: 0922-4777; 1573-0905
• DOI: 10.1007/s11145-016-9623-2

We present an empirical investigation of a classroom training fostering vocational students’ consideration of source information when deciding about science-based controversies. The training was specifically aimed at raising students’ awareness of the division of cognitive labor and the resulting need to take a source’s competence into account when deciding whom to trust. Data were collected from a training group and a waiting list control group in a pretest–posttest design. The results show that students benefitted from the training in terms of their inclination to agree with pertinent expert sources rather than low-pertinent experts and to refer to the source of information to justify their judgment. Source memory was not affected by the training.