ERIC Number: EJ1116231
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2016
Pages: 16
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1052-4800
EISSN: N/A
Do College Students Notice Errors in Evidence When Critically Evaluating Research Findings?
Rodriguez, Fernando; Ng, Annalyn; Shah, Priti
Journal on Excellence in College Teaching, v27 n3 p63-78 2016
The authors examined college students' ability to critically evaluate scientific evidence, specifically, whether first- and second-year students noticed when poor interpretations were drawn from research evidence. Fifty students evaluated a set of eight psychological studies, first in an informal context, then again in a critical-thinking context. Half of the studies drew poor interpretations of the results--specifically, over-interpreting findings with small effects and inferring causal conclusions from correlational findings. Across both contexts, students noticed when studies over-interpreted small effects, but they were not able to notice when studies contained correlation-not-causation errors. Activities for helping students identify interpretive errors are suggested.
Descriptors: College Students, Evidence, Criticism, Critical Thinking, Correlation, Thinking Skills, Introductory Courses, Psychology, Online Surveys, Psychological Studies, Statistical Analysis, Error Patterns, Rating Scales, Research
Miami University. 303 South Patterson Avenue, Oxford, OH 45056. Tel: 513-529-9265; Fax: 513-529-9264; Web site: http://www.celt.muohio.edu/ject/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A