A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal

How do gender, Internet activity and learning beliefs predict sixth-grade students' self-efficacy beliefs in and attitudes towards online inquiry?



Authors: Sormunen Eero, Erdmann Norbert, Otieno Suzanne CSA, Mikkilä-Erdmann Mirjamaija, Laakkonen Eero, Mikkonen Teemu, Hossain Md Arman, González-Ibáñez Roberto, Quintanilla-Gatica Mario, Leppänen Paavo HT, Vauras Marja

Publisher: SAGE PUBLICATIONS LTD

Publication year: 2023

Journal: Journal of Information Science

Journal name in source: JOURNAL OF INFORMATION SCIENCE

Journal acronym: J INF SCI

Article number: ARTN 01655515211043708

Volume: 49

Issue: 5

First page : 1246

Last page: 1261

Number of pages: 16

ISSN: 0165-5515

eISSN: 1741-6485

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/01655515211043708

Web address : https://doi.org/10.1177%2F01655515211043708

Self-archived copy’s web address: https://research.utu.fi/converis/portal/detail/Publication/67410563


Abstract
Today's students search, evaluate and actively use Web information in their school assignments, that is, they conduct an online inquiry. This current survey study addresses sixth-grade students' self-efficacy beliefs in and attitudes towards online inquiry, and to what extent free-time and school-related Internet activity, gender and learning beliefs explain these. The questionnaire was administered in 10 schools to 340 sixth-graders in Finland. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses revealed three elements of self-efficacy beliefs: self-efficacy in Web searching, the evaluation of sources and synthesising information. Furthermore, attitudes towards online inquiry loaded into two factors: a positive and a negative attitude towards online inquiry. A structural equation model was used to analyse the effects of the explanatory variables on the factors. The results of this work suggest that gender and free-time Internet use predict most sixth-graders' self-efficacy beliefs in and attitudes towards online inquiry.

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Last updated on 2025-14-02 at 16:25