Beyond online search strategies: The effects of internet epistemic beliefs and different note-taking formats on online multiple document reading comprehension

Background Processing and comprehending information from multiple sources have been a primary means of learning and are essential 21st-century skills to construct knowledge for a deeper understanding. Objectives This study examined students' individual differences in search strategies and internet epistemic beliefs as well as the effect of distinct note-taking formats on students' online multiple-document reading about measurement scales and statistical graphs, considering students' gender and prior knowledge. Methods Participants were 124 Taiwanese university students (79% female) taking the Educational Statistics course in three different classes. I used a quasi-experimental design to test the effect of different note-taking formats on online multiple document reading. Three classes of students were randomly assigned to one of the experimental conditions with sourcing cues: the individual note taking with multiple tabs, the collaborative note taking with multiple tabs, or the individual note taking in a single tab. Results and conclusion The study showed that the uncertainty belief about Internet-based information and note-taking formats predicted students' online multiple document reading. A stronger belief that the internet information is uncertain and may change with time positively predict online multiple document reading comprehension. Moreover, individuals taking notes in a single tab outperformed those taking notes individually in separate tabs. Major takeaways from the study Implications for instruction were made to foster students' uncertainty belief and teach them how to construct pre-outlined tables with sourcing cues to collect the contextual information and reflect on the source information to streamline learners' online multiple document reading comprehension.