A digital literacy program for elementary school students designed by researchers at McGill University was successful in improving students’ ability to evaluate websites and their content.
Skills targeted included how to search for information, how to identify credible websites, how to evaluate the quality of information sources, and how to address conflicting information. Students’ global performance increased across all skill categories, in most cases by significant margins.
“The intervention was a huge success. Students (and teachers!) learned how to better navigate the internet,” said Krista Muis, James McGill Professor in the Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology and lead author of the study.
A Multi-Step Process in Partnership with Teachers
In total, 216 students (12 classes across grades 4, 5 and 6) from two Quebec schools, one suburban, the other urban, participated.
The team started by conducting focus groups with students and teachers to better understand students’ digital literacy skill levels. Participating teachers also advised the researchers about which skills should be taught, and how. A pre-test was conducted with the students to serve as a control. The researchers then conducted short lessons across several days, followed by increasingly challenging practice sessions.
At the end of each day, the students completed tasks to demonstrate what they had learned, such as how to identify features on a website that can indicate trustworthiness, or ranking web search results.
An Essential Skill in the Digital Age
The team is working on making this program widely available across Canada. They have also adapted the activity for older students.
“Digital literacy is a critical life skill for all ages. If an intervention is effective in increasing students’ skills, this is important information to share with teachers, educators, and parents alike,” said Muis. “In an era of widespread misinformation, the ability to critically evaluate knowledge claims is essential.”
About the Study
“A Design-Based Intervention to Develop Elementary Students’ Digital Literacy Skills” by Krista R. Muis, Heather A. Pearson, Armaghan Montazami, and Adam K. Dubé was published in the Journal of Experimental Education. This research was supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada and the Canadian Internet Registration Authority.
About McGill University
Founded in 1821 in Montreal, QC, McGill is Canada’s top ranked medical doctoral university. It is a world-renowned institution of higher learning with 12 faculties, 14 professional schools, 700 programs of study, over 40,000 students, and research activities spanning three campuses. It attracts students from nearly 150 countries around the world, with international students making up 27% of the student body.
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