The Effects of the Format and Frequency of Prompts on Source Evaluation and Multiple-Text Comprehension

Abstract

This study investigated how and how often to present prompts to enhance students’ source evaluation and multiple-text comprehension. Participants were 72 undergraduates who read a set of digital texts on a controversial topic of smartphone use and mental health, wrote a justification statement for their selection of trustworthy texts, and answered open-ended comprehension questions. To explore the optimal presentation conditions, this study varied the presentation format (matrix vs. question) and frequency (once vs. repeated) of prompts. The results showed that participants benefited more from the matrix prompt than the question prompt in source evaluation and multiple-text comprehension. An interaction effect occurred only in multiple-text comprehension, indicating that repeated prompting via matrix was an optimal approach to facilitate integration of text information. In addition, participants perceived less cognitive load when matrix was presented than when questions were presented. Taken together, these results have classroom implications for instructors to consider both the format and frequency of presenting prompts to facilitate source evaluation and comprehension of multiple conflicting-view articles.