Norwegian primary school teachers' understanding of, and experiences with, source criticism

We investigate grades 5-7 school teachers' understanding of, and teaching practices related to, source criticism, which is generally understood as the act of critically interpreting, assessing and reflecting upon information as a key aspect of critical thinking. The analyses of a nationwide survey (N = 419) and group interviews of teachers reveal that although teachers find source criticism to be important, many do not facilitate for activities directed at developing source criticism skills. There is potential for making teachers more conscious about source criticism activities, and interdisciplinary projects may be a gateway to developing teachers' and pupils' source criticism skills, and consequently also their critical thinking.