13 Evaluating Sources
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Inquiry-based Activity: Sifting through pools of information
Introduction: While access to unprecedented amounts of information can be useful in some arenas, it also means student need to understand how to sort through possible information sources and understand which ones are worth paying attention to. In this activity, students will describe/reflect on the sources they use to seek information and then apply the CRAAP test to those sources. By the end of the activity, students should be able to evaluate the credibility and reliability of information sources and hopefully develop better search habits.
Question to pose to students: When you have a question about a psychological topic, how do you search online to find reputable information?
Students form a hypothesis: In groups, have students discuss the various methods they use to seek information (e.g., general search engine, Google Scholar, social media). Have them come up with a list of sources as a group comprising 3-4 options.
Students test their hypotheses: At this point, there are a few options for moving forward:
-If you have a lot of time, you can have groups come up with a psychological topic they have questions about. While this will lead to higher levels of investment from students, it may take some prodding for idea development to happen.
-If you are not using the book, “50 Great Myths of Popular Psychology: Shattering Widespread Misconceptions about Human Behavior” for other elements of your course, you can select several options for students to select from, or give them the list of topics and allow them to pick.
-Come up with several random psychological topics on your own:)
Whichever option you choose, groups should choose or be assigned a psychological topic to research. Then, using their list of sources from above, have them research their topic. What kinds of answers do they find? Do they vary by source? Finally, have students use the CRAAP worksheet (linked below) for each of their sources.
Do the students’ hypotheses hold up?: Students should compare the CRAAP scores for each of their sources. As a class, report out scores for various sources – are there ones that clearly stand out as better? Are there sources that repeatedly score poorly? After this is done, have student groups discuss what the learned about the process of researching new information and whether they will change how they seek information based on the CRAAP results.
