JYU1: Argumentative online inquiry assessment (2015-2016)

Argumentative Online Inquiry Assessment (AOIA) tool for upper secondary schools will be developed by utilizing the online reading comprehension assessment (ORCA) test. ORCA is a test developed and validated in the United States for secondary school students. The AOIA test for Finnish upper secondary schools will be developed in close collaboration with the developers of the original ORCA test. The AOIA test will measure students’ prior knowledge on the topic treated and will include tasks relating to the following aspects of online inquiry: 1) searching for information, 2) analyzing search results, 3) critical evaluation of information, 4) synthesizing information from multiple argumentative online sources, and 5) building an argument on the basis of online sources. In the test students are asked to make choices between various pre-set alternatives and write justifications for their decisions. Further, the students are asked to compose written syntheses from multiple argumentative online sources as well as argumentative essays in which they are asked to build an argument on the basis of online sources.

JYU2: An evaluation study on students’ argumentative online inquiry competencies (2016-2017)

A large scale (n=500) cross-sectional evaluation study will be conducted in order to clarify the nature of upper secondary school students’ argumentative online inquiry competences by using the AOIA test. In previous studies, for example, students’ epistemic beliefs, and self-efficacy have been shown to play an important role in reading performance. Thus, the study will investigate whether these two factors are also associated with reading in online environments. A measure of students’ epistemic beliefs is included in the OIS survey which has been developed in UTA1 sub-study. In addition to this, the associations of students’ previous school achievement, everyday information and media practices and orientation to inquiry (see UTA1 sub-study), with students’ online inquiry competences will be investigated. Knowledge on this study will be used in developing an instructional model for online inquiry competences (ARONI1 stub-study).