Negative views of Wikipedia in schools [was: Re: Wiki-research-l Digest, Vol 193, Issue 5 - Wiki-research-l

15 Sep 2021

Hi everyone

Apologies if this has been covered previously on the list. I was inspired to write by the
reference in the post below to the Wiki Ed Program.

I am about to launch with an education scholar colleague a funded research project aiming
to develop fact-checking techniques with Y5, Y6 and Y7 schoolchildren in three Canberra
schools (Australian Capital Territory). We are basing our approach to fact-checking on
concepts developed by education scholars in the US such as "civic online
reasoning" and "lateral reading": look away from the (potentially dubious)
content; check the source. The easiest and most effective way to "check the
source" is to look at a Wikipedia entry and check the reference list.

In parallel, I am convening a first-year communication course on media literacy at the
University of Canberra with 140+ students. A couple of weeks ago we did a group activity
on Wikipedia, where students were asked to review and discuss a Wiki Ed Program /
Wikimedia brochure ("Instructor Basics: How to use Wikipedia as a teaching
tool") which clearly outlines editorial and behavioral policies such as NPOV,
Reliable Sources, Assume Good Faith, etc.

We then asked whether any prior assumptions had been challenged. It became clear that when
they were in high-school, these students had been forcefully and repeatedly instructed by
their teachers to NEVER use Wikipedia ("unreliable"). After completing the
activity, students overwhelmingly expressed amazement about the existence of quality
controls on Wikipedia and said their opinion of its reliability had changed.

We also have anecdotal evidence that primary and secondary school teachers hold similar
negative opinions about WP.

It would be helpful for us to find out if this negative image is specific to the Canberra
education system, or has been encountered elsewhere. To that end, I would very much
appreciate it if anyone could point me to any studies or projects which explore this
issue, or who could share their experiences of how teachers perceive Wikipedia.

If you want to get in touch off-list I usually respond quickest to email sent at my
primary address: mathieu.oneil(a)canberra.edu.au

Many thanks!
Mathieu

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Today's Topics:

   1. Re: [Wikimedia Research Showcase] September 15, 2021: Socialization on Wikipedia
      (Janna Layton)

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Message: 1
Date: Mon, 13 Sep 2021 12:44:20 -0700
From: Janna Layton &lt;jlayton(a)wikimedia.org&gt;
Subject: [Wiki-research-l] Re: [Wikimedia Research Showcase] September
        15, 2021: Socialization on Wikipedia
To: analytics(a)lists.wikimedia.org,
        wiki-research-l(a)lists.wikimedia.org, wikimedia-l(a)lists.wikimedia.org
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Reminder that the September Research Showcase is this Wednesday.

On Thu, Sep 9, 2021 at 1:15 PM Janna Layton &lt;jlayton(a)wikimedia.org&gt; wrote:

...
  Hello all,

 The September Wikimedia Research Showcase will be on September 15 at 16:30
 UTC (9:30am PT/ 12:30pm ET/ 18:30pm CEST). The theme will be
 "socialization on Wikipedia" with speakers Rosta Farzan and J. Nathan
 Matias.

 Livestream:
https://aus01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtu…

 Talk 1

 Speaker: Rosta Farzan (School of Computing and Information, University of
 Pittsburgh)

 Title: Unlocking the Wikipedia clubhouse to newcomers: results from two
 studies

 Abstract: It is no news to any of us that success of online production
 communities such as Wikipedia highly relies on a continuous stream of
 newcomers to replace the inevitable high turnover and to bring on board new
 sources of ideas and workforce. However, these communities have been
 struggling with attracting newcomers, especially from a diverse population
 of users, and further retention of newcomers. In this talk, I will present
 about two different approaches in engaging new editors in Wikipedia: (1)
 newcomers joining through the Wiki Ed program, an online program in which
 college students edit Wikipedia articles as class assignments; (2)
 newcomers joining through a Wikipedia Art+Feminism edit-a-thon.  I present
 how each approach incorporated techniques in engaging newcomers and how
 they succeed in attracting and retention of newcomers.

 More information:

    - Bring on Board New Enthusiasts! A Case Study of Impact of Wikipedia
    Art + Feminism Edit-A-Thon Events on Newcomers

<https://aus01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Flink.springer.com%2Fchapter%2F10.1007%2F978-3-319-47880-7_2&amp;data=04%7C01%7Cmathieu.oneil%40anu.edu.au%7C4451361d2fd74302eef008d97777a902%7Ce37d725cab5c46249ae5f0533e486437%7C0%7C0%7C637672179490869770%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&amp;sdata=0KI7qsYZczVHga07k5waO1HTEAGFK6WVfNAKZcc6WjY%3D&amp;reserved=0>,
    SocInfo 2016 (pdf

<https://aus01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fsaviaga.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2016%2F06%2Fsocinfo_ediathons.pdf&amp;data=04%7C01%7Cmathieu.oneil%40anu.edu.au%7C4451361d2fd74302eef008d97777a902%7Ce37d725cab5c46249ae5f0533e486437%7C0%7C0%7C637672179490869770%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&amp;sdata=tGpnIH3z7wYNcOqwpUysYAqCKzmHSd%2FWijK8a86FV9c%3D&amp;reserved=0>)
    - Successful Online Socialization: Lessons from the Wikipedia
    Education Program
<https://aus01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fdl.acm.org%2Fdoi%2Fabs%2F10.1145%2F3392857&amp;data=04%7C01%7Cmathieu.oneil%40anu.edu.au%7C4451361d2fd74302eef008d97777a902%7Ce37d725cab5c46249ae5f0533e486437%7C0%7C0%7C637672179490869770%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&amp;sdata=3UUvlGRCXkKd4y3VWXmVOoQpmwxCPtYUpu0PcCpXVQ4%3D&amp;reserved=0>,
CSCW
    2020 (pdf

<https://aus01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cc.gatech.edu%2F~dyang888%2Fdocs%2Fcscw_li_2020_wiki.pdf&amp;data=04%7C01%7Cmathieu.oneil%40anu.edu.au%7C4451361d2fd74302eef008d97777a902%7Ce37d725cab5c46249ae5f0533e486437%7C0%7C0%7C637672179490869770%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&amp;sdata=ktQFjngHxFjbtafyvV9CVxa8REsVMqrNqpJK0BPCWT8%3D&amp;reserved=0>)

 Talk 2

 Speaker: J. Nathan Matias
<https://aus01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnatematias.com%2F&amp;data=04%7C01%7Cmathieu.oneil%40anu.edu.au%7C4451361d2fd74302eef008d97777a902%7Ce37d725cab5c46249ae5f0533e486437%7C0%7C0%7C637672179490869770%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&amp;sdata=XYHvf%2B3X76oFFSpz%2BatZKXZNAxXmJtasR07JfJD40v4%3D&amp;reserved=0>
(Citizens and
 Technology Lab
<https://aus01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fcitizensandtech.org%2F&amp;data=04%7C01%7Cmathieu.oneil%40anu.edu.au%7C4451361d2fd74302eef008d97777a902%7Ce37d725cab5c46249ae5f0533e486437%7C0%7C0%7C637672179490869770%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&amp;sdata=YWrk3kV7y7%2B60g8DxLK6iGlXumUnYDTQGEmDosyp5io%3D&amp;reserved=0>,
Cornell University
 Departments of Communication and Information Science)

 Title: The Effect of Receiving Appreciation on Wikipedias. A Community
 Co-Designed Field Experiment

 Abstract: Can saying “thank you” make online communities stronger & more
 inclusive? Or does thanking others for their voluntary efforts have little
 effect? To ask this question, the Citizens and Technology Lab (CAT Lab)
 organized 344 volunteers to send thanks to Wikipedia contributors across
 the Arabic, German, Polish, and Persian languages. We then observed the
 behavior of 15,558 newcomers and experienced contributors to Wikipedia. On
 average, we found that organizing volunteers to thank others increases
 two-week retention of newcomers and experienced accounts. It also caused
 people to send more thanks to others. This study was a field experiment, a
 randomized trial that sent thanks to some people and not to others. These
 experiments can help answer questions about the impact of community
 practices and platform design. But they can sometimes face community
 mistrust, especially when researchers conduct them without community
 consent. In this talk, learn more about CAT Lab's approach to community-led
 research and discuss open questions about best practices.

 More information:

    -

    Volunteers Thanked Thousands of Wikipedia Editors to Learn the Effects
    of Receiving Thanks

<https://aus01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcitizensandtech.org%2F2020%2F06%2Feffects-of-saying-thanks-on-wikipedia%2F&amp;data=04%7C01%7Cmathieu.oneil%40anu.edu.au%7C4451361d2fd74302eef008d97777a902%7Ce37d725cab5c46249ae5f0533e486437%7C0%7C0%7C637672179490869770%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&amp;sdata=ksOIGRLWt7noQNET%2FDf1HxIKnSoRUysq9p0EkRN6Mes%3D&amp;reserved=0>,
    blogpost (in EN, DE, AR, PL, FA)
<https://aus01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fosf.io%2Fueq5f%2F&amp;data=04%7C01%7Cmathieu.oneil%40anu.edu.au%7C4451361d2fd74302eef008d97777a902%7Ce37d725cab5c46249ae5f0533e486437%7C0%7C0%7C637672179490869770%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&amp;sdata=FZ2axTbZpyhwkuhkDzqr7sqCOyvswweH00MzTbQ%2Fg6o%3D&amp;reserved=0>
    -

    The Diffusion and Influence of Gratitude Expressions in Large-Scale
    Cooperation: A Field Experiment in Four Knowledge Networks

<https://aus01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fosf.io%2Fueq5f%2F&amp;data=04%7C01%7Cmathieu.oneil%40anu.edu.au%7C4451361d2fd74302eef008d97777a902%7Ce37d725cab5c46249ae5f0533e486437%7C0%7C0%7C637672179490879764%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&amp;sdata=1M4xmoXA9e4iXv37txVTzp7dwQOTShrf2vYIRDOzgRk%3D&amp;reserved=0>,
paper preprint

 More information:

https://aus01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.media…

 --
 Janna Layton (she/her)
 Administrative Associate - Product & Technology
 Wikimedia Foundation
<https://aus01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwikimediafoundation.org%2F&amp;data=04%7C01%7Cmathieu.oneil%40anu.edu.au%7C4451361d2fd74302eef008d97777a902%7Ce37d725cab5c46249ae5f0533e486437%7C0%7C0%7C637672179490879764%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&amp;sdata=9aUFdLf%2B1p92BdDafSz20tf9XugleffgWiAwUx9weyw%3D&amp;reserved=0>

--
Janna Layton (she/her)
Administrative Associate - Product & Technology
Wikimedia Foundation
<https://aus01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwikimediafoundation.org%2F&amp;data=04%7C01%7Cmathieu.oneil%40anu.edu.au%7C4451361d2fd74302eef008d97777a902%7Ce37d725cab5c46249ae5f0533e486437%7C0%7C0%7C637672179490879764%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&amp;sdata=9aUFdLf%2B1p92BdDafSz20tf9XugleffgWiAwUx9weyw%3D&amp;reserved=0>

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