Learning from Multiple Information Sources

Abstract

Learning about a topic from multiple textual information sources requires integration across documents as well as attention to information regarding each source. This is a challenging, yet necessary, form of literacy competence in present-day knowledge societies. Factors that may constrain or promote learning from multiple information sources concern reading skills, domain expertise, personal epistemology, and aspects of the reading task. These factors are also important when the information sources are located at the World Wide Web, with web-based sources representing additional challenges to the readers. Research on learning from multiple information sources has important educational implications, and it has promoted instructional research in classrooms as well as the development of computer-based training programs.