English Language Arts and Reading.6.12.H.i

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The student is expected to

examine sources for:

 

reliability, credibility, and bias; and

inquiry research TEKS talk image

Knowledge and Skills Statement

Inquiry and research: listening, speaking, reading, writing, and thinking using multiple texts. The student engages in both short-term and sustained recursive inquiry processes for a variety of purposes.

As a class, develop a set of questions to be used in identifying reliability when reviewing sources. Then, provide a set of articles of interest and ask students to work in small groups to use the questions to determine whether each article is reliable. Have groups share their observations with the class, using evidence to support their responses. Document student responses to record their level of understanding. Repeat this exercise for credibility and for bias.
 

Further Explanation

Students should understand that they need to evaluate certain elements, such as the author, sources or citations, bias or point of view, and date of publication to determine the reliability, credibility, and bias. This skill is introduced in sixth grade and each element should be assessed independently to determine students’ level of understanding of each.

the quality of having reliable and trustworthy characteristics and being accepted as true or real
Students should be able to review research sources to determine if they are valid references for information. Students should review a source by considering the objectivity of their information. Examining sources typically requires students to do some research on the source itself to determine if it should be used. Students might need to determine the reputation a source has among peers in that field, consider the consistency of previously provided information or documentations (e.g., has the source been proven wrong in the past?), and/or determine if there are any affiliations between the source and parties who benefit from the source’s presenting the facts in a certain way.
When reviewing sources, students should specifically determine if they are reliable and credible or contain bias of any kind. A reliable source is one that presents a well-thought-out argument, information, or discussion based on accurate evidence. Credible sources are those that have established a reputation for being trustworthy and accurate. When a source contains bias, it leans toward a certain outcome or idea. For example, if a survey states that a large sample of people agree that the Dallas Cowboys are the best football team in Texas, but the only people surveyed were people in a Dallas Cowboys fan shop, the survey results can be considered biased and not objective.
a source that is accurate, based on fact, current, logically sound and written by a qualified author

Research

Christensen,-Branum, L. Strong, A. and Jones, C. O. (2018). Mitigating myside bias in argumentation. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 62(4), 

Summary: Teachers can improve students’ argumentation proficiency by intentionally addressing myside bias, the propensity to support arguments with which one preemptively agrees while selectively ignoring contradictory claims and evidence. In this article, the authors identify three themes detected in a review of the literature on myside bias and offer instructional implications and strategies to address myside bias in secondary and postsecondary classrooms. Such strategies that promote critical reflection and balanced argument have implications for academic achievement and critical thinking skills beyond the classroom.