摘要
Background: Processing and comprehending information from multiple sources have been a primary means of learning and are essential 21st-century skills to construct knowledge for a deeper understanding. Objectives: This study examined students' individual differences in search strategies and internet epistemic beliefs as well as the effect of distinct note-taking formats on students' online multiple-document reading about measurement scales and statistical graphs, considering students' gender and prior knowledge. Methods: Participants were 124 Taiwanese university students (79% female) taking the Educational Statistics course in three different classes. I used a quasi-experimental design to test the effect of different note-taking formats on online multiple document reading. Three classes of students were randomly assigned to one of the experimental conditions with sourcing cues: the individual note taking with multiple tabs, the collaborative note taking with multiple tabs, or the individual note taking in a single tab. Results and conclusion: The study showed that the uncertainty belief about Internet-based information and note-taking formats predicted students' online multiple document reading. A stronger belief that the internet information is uncertain and may change with time positively predict online multiple document reading comprehension. Moreover, individuals taking notes in a single tab outperformed those taking notes individually in separate tabs. Major takeaways from the study: Implications for instruction were made to foster students' uncertainty belief and teach them how to construct pre-outlined tables with sourcing cues to collect the contextual information and reflect on the source information to streamline learners' online multiple document reading comprehension.