Predictors of Online Research Skills to Reduce Copy-Paste: An Intervention in Middle Schools

N

13

Middle School Students; Research Skills; Plagiarism; Online Searching; Internet; Grade 8; English (Second Language); Second Language Instruction; Private Schools; Intervention; Program Effectiveness; Student Behavior; Foreign Countries; Skill Development

2222-1735
2222-288X

The complexities of Internet sources have caused more challenges to school students, leading them in many cases to copy-paste ideas into their written assignments. Facing these challenges requires adopting and implementing evidence-based practices. This article builds on a mixed-methods, quasi-experimental study which investigated the effect of Internet Reciprocal Model (IRT) to lessen occurrences of copy-paste trend in the writing pieces of Grade 8 ESL students (n = 172) in three private schools in Saida, Lebanon. Eight teachers were randomly assigned to experimental and control conditions along with their respective classes. The researchers collected pre and post-data on online research and comprehension assessment tool. Supported with current research and informed by the principles of the social-cognitive, socio-cultural, and the new literacies theories, regression analyses revealed a strong positive degree of association at post-test between the intervention and the subscale that measured copy-paste trend, indicating that teaching online research skills through one comprehensive model would decrease the copy-paste behavior. Theoretical and pedagogical implications were discussed. Recommendations for school policies and further research were provided.

As Provided

2023

ED630889