Explicit video-based instruction enhanced students’ online credibility evaluation skills: Did storifying instruction matter?

This study tested the efficacy of explicit video-based instruction (4 x 45-min lessons) in promoting sixth graders' online credibility evaluation skills. It also investigated whether storified instruction enhanced learning more than non-storified instruction. Storified and non-storified interventions contained the same learning content, and the same components of explicit instruction informed their design. The only difference in the two formats was that storified instruction was framed as a detective school, and non-storified instruction did not include any storified elements. In storified instruction, students joined the detective school, taught by two fictitious detectives who appeared as human instructors in the videos. Storified elements were also integrated into other learning materials to provide students with a holistic learning experience. The study employed a quasi-experimental research design with three conditions: storified instruction (n = 115), non-storified instruction (n = 135), and control (n = 127) conditions. Learning of online credibility evaluation skills was assessed with a credibility evaluation task that measured students' skills to confirm more credible online texts, question less credible online texts, and justify their overall evaluations. In the post-test, both intervention conditions outperformed the control condition in questioning the less credible online texts and justifying their evaluations. Notably, storified and non-storified instructions similarly improved students’ online credibility evaluation skills. Examination of the intervention effects for each individual revealed that basic reading skills were not associated with the level of change in questioning less credible online texts and justifying credibility evaluations. This suggests that video-based explicit instruction has the potential to support different kinds of readers.