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Research Background
Research Background
Information risk in digitalised childhood
Information risk in digitalised childhood
Short video algorithms frequently expose children to false content, depleting their cognitive resources with emotional headlines and fostering misbeliefs and anxiety. This study employs non-subject-based workshops to explore whether cultivating critical thinking early on can serve as a psychological defence mechanism, thereby filling an empirical gap in media literacy curricula for compulsory education.
Short video algorithms frequently expose children to false content, depleting their cognitive resources with emotional headlines and fostering misbeliefs and anxiety. This study employs non-subject-based workshops to explore whether cultivating critical thinking early on can serve as a psychological defence mechanism, thereby filling an empirical gap in media literacy curricula for compulsory education.
Mechanisms driving the spread of fake news
Algorithm filtering: Based on personal history, content is pushed to form an information bubble, reducing exposure to opposing viewpoints.
Cognitive limitations: Children lack verification strategies, making them more prone to passively accepting information and less able to identify logical fallacies.
Emotional amplification: The 'like' and 'share' mechanisms reward extreme emotions, granting false content greater exposure.
Mechanisms driving the spread of fake news
Algorithm filtering: Based on personal history, content is pushed to form an information bubble, reducing exposure to opposing viewpoints.
Cognitive limitations: Children lack verification strategies, making them more prone to passively accepting information and less able to identify logical fallacies.
Emotional amplification: The 'like' and 'share' mechanisms reward extreme emotions, granting false content greater exposure.
Protective functions of critical thinking
Critical thinking prompts children to engage System II processing, actively questioning sources, comparing evidence, and deducing conclusions—thereby blocking the spread of rumours.
🔎Questioning the reliability and motives of information sources
⚖️Compare multiple pieces of evidence to identify logical fallacies
💡Draw conclusions based on evidence to form reasonable viewpoints
Protective functions of critical thinking
Critical thinking prompts children to engage System II processing, actively questioning sources, comparing evidence, and deducing conclusions—thereby blocking the spread of rumours.
🔎Questioning the reliability and motives of information sources
⚖️Compare multiple pieces of evidence to identify logical fallacies
💡Draw conclusions based on evidence to form reasonable viewpoints
Research Design
Research Design
Research questions and hypothesis
1️⃣: Can academic performance, age, gender, and social media usage time predict initial critical thinking test scores?
2️⃣: Does the short-term critical thinking workshop significantly improve elementary students' ability to identify misinformation on social media?
Hypothesis: The post-test scores of the intervention group are significantly higher than those of the control group.
Research questions and hypothesis
1️⃣: Can academic performance, age, gender, and social media usage time predict initial critical thinking test scores?
2️⃣: Does the short-term critical thinking workshop significantly improve elementary students' ability to identify misinformation on social media?
Hypothesis: The post-test scores of the intervention group are significantly higher than those of the control group.
Assessment tool and dimensions
The 27 behavioural indicators adapted from Gelerstein's (2016) framework span five dimensions, each scored as 0 or 1, with a maximum total score of 27. Bilingual translation and back-translation were employed to ensure equivalence of the Chinese version.
Assessment tool and dimensions
The 27 behavioural indicators adapted from Gelerstein's (2016) framework span five dimensions, each scored as 0 or 1, with a maximum total score of 27. Bilingual translation and back-translation were employed to ensure equivalence of the Chinese version.
💬Interpretation: Accurately comprehend and articulate the meaning of information, including the core ideas conveyed through images, text, or video
📝Analysis: Break down the structure of information, identify the arguments, evidence, and logical relationships within it, and determine how the content is constructed
💡Inference: Make reasonable inferences based on available information to predict hidden intentions or potential outcomes
📖Evaluation: Be able to assess the reliability of information sources and the sufficiency of evidence, distinguishing between facts, opinions, and emotions
✔️Reasoning: Capable of synthesising information from multiple sources to engage in logical reasoning, drawing coherent and reasonable conclusions based on evidence
Experiment procedure
Experiment procedure
Research Results
Research Results
Relationship between academic achievement and initial test scores
Relationship between academic achievement and initial test scores
The regression model indicates that academic foundation exhibits a sustained predictive power over the starting point of critical thinking, explaining 45.8% of the variance.
Comparison of pre-test and post-test scores
Comparison of pre-test and post-test scores
The post-intervention mean score in the intervention group increased to 21.04, while the control group remained at 14.35. This large effect size (Cohen's d = 1.60) supports the effectiveness of the intervention.
Five-dimensional score improvement radar chart
Five-dimensional score improvement radar chart
The radar chart shows significant growth across all dimensions in the intervention group, with the greatest increase observed in the evaluation dimension (+36%), indicating that students are better able to assess the reliability of evidence.
Behavioral metrics improvement heatmap
Behavioral metrics improvement heatmap
The heatmap indicates 15 metrics reached significant levels, with deeper reds signifying more pronounced improvements. These improvements primarily concentrate on higher-order behaviours such as decoding image intent and questioning evidence.
Result Discussion
Result Discussion
Low-threshold High-gain mechanism
The regression model indicates that initial test scores significantly negatively predict growth, suggesting that students with weaker foundations possess a larger zone of proximal development.
🧩Structured video provides comprehensible input, lowering the cognitive barrier
Low-threshold High-gain mechanism
The regression model indicates that initial test scores significantly negatively predict growth, suggesting that students with weaker foundations possess a larger zone of proximal development.
🧩Structured video provides comprehensible input, lowering the cognitive barrier
👥Peer discussions serve as cognitive scaffolding, facilitating the collision of ideas
👥Peer discussions serve as cognitive scaffolding, facilitating the collision of ideas
🧠Activate System II processing to transform intuitive reactions into rational analysis
🧠Activate System II processing to transform intuitive reactions into rational analysis
Advantages of non-disciplinary design
⚙️Low cognitive load: Free from specific subject knowledge, students can allocate cognitive resources to the thinking process itself.
🌏High ecological validity: Authentic social media materials enhance task realism, making skill transfer to daily life more likely.
📘Easy to replicate: Short implementation cycles and low resource requirements provide scalable, easy-to-implement solutions for more schools.
Advantages of non-disciplinary design
⚙️Low cognitive load: Free from specific subject knowledge, students can allocate cognitive resources to the thinking process itself.
🌏High ecological validity: Authentic social media materials enhance task realism, making skill transfer to daily life more likely.
📘Easy to replicate: Short implementation cycles and low resource requirements provide scalable, easy-to-implement solutions for more schools.
Implication
Implication
Implementation pathways for classroom application
Implementation pathways for classroom application
Integrate into existing curriculum
Integrate into existing curriculum
Teachers can embed media literacy and critical thinking topics into existing subjects such as Chinese, Moral Education, ICT, or Integrated Studies without creating new lessons.
Implication for classroom practice
Implication for classroom practice
Findings indicate that reflective teacher-led discussions enhance students’ evaluative judgement. Classroom application should follow the principle of guided scaffolding with gradual release
School-based resource bank
School-based resource bank
After implementation, schools can establish a continuously updated digital literacy and critical thinking resource bank for teacher collaboration and ongoing improvement
Enhancing cognitive immunity
Continuous training helps children develop habits of questioning, verifying, and reasoning, building cognitive immunity for the digital age.
🎓Support lifelong learning and rational decision-making
🛡️Enhance psychological resilience against information manipulation
🫂Cultivate responsible digital citizens
Enhancing cognitive immunity
Continuous training helps children develop habits of questioning, verifying, and reasoning, building cognitive immunity for the digital age.
🎓Support lifelong learning and rational decision-making
🛡️Enhance psychological resilience against information manipulation
🫂Cultivate responsible digital citizens
Limitation & Improvement
Limitation & Improvement
Limited sample
Limited sample
Limitation: Students all come from the same school and are not representative.
Improvement: Conducting research in more schools and regions increases sample diversity.
Assessment method
Assessment method
Limitation: not all students excel at or enjoy writing, resulting in unequal opportunities to express their abilities.
Improvement: It is necessary to incorporate additional assessment methods, which can be structured as formative, summative, or holistic assessments.
Control Group setting
Control Group setting
Limitation: Students in the control group received instruction as usual, so it is uncertain whether the performance improvement in the experimental group was influenced by the novelty effect.
Improvement: Introduce additional instructional activities to the control group to control for the novelty effect.
Research Conclusions
Research Conclusions
Core conclusions and distributions
☑️Structured non-subject interventions significantly enhance elementary students' critical thinking
📈Low-starting-point students benefit most
📽️Authentic videos and peer discussions serve as effective vehicles
📖Provides localised, scalable evidence-based outcomes for media literacy curricula
Core conclusions and distributions
☑️Structured non-subject interventions significantly enhance elementary students' critical thinking
📈Low-starting-point students benefit most
📽️Authentic videos and peer discussions serve as effective vehicles
📖Provides localised, scalable evidence-based outcomes for media literacy curricula
Future direction
🌐Expansion and deepening: Extend to different regions and grade levels, integrating multimodal assessment and long-term tracking
💻Technology and platform: Develop a website and build an online learning platform to enable resource sharing
🔗Curriculum integration: Explore integration with subject curricula to form interdisciplinary project-based learning
Future direction
🌐Expansion and deepening: Extend to different regions and grade levels, integrating multimodal assessment and long-term tracking
💻Technology and platform: Develop a website and build an online learning platform to enable resource sharing
🔗Curriculum integration: Explore integration with subject curricula to form interdisciplinary project-based learning
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