Modeling how experts read: A scaffolded approach to teaching critical reading of scientific papers
Session Type
Poster
Room
The Great Hall, Somerville House (room 3326)
Start Date
17-7-2025 4:00 PM
End Date
17-7-2025 6:00 PM
Keywords
Skills in Reading Primary Literature, Immunology
Primary Threads
Teaching and Learning Science
Abstract
Reading primary literature is considered an essential skill in science and related disciplines, and undergraduate courses offer an ideal environment for students to practice interpreting data and engaging with published research. While peer-reviewed publications are generally considered reliable, flaws and limitations can still occur, making it essential for students to approach scientific papers with a critical lens. Educational strategies such as the C.R.E.A.T.E. method (Hoskins et al., 2011) and the Figure Facts template (Round & Campbell, 2013) have been shown to improve students’ comprehension of research. However, these approaches often emphasize understanding over evaluation, and may not fully address how to critically assess the validity of a study.
/="/">Building on prior work by Sato et al. (2014), which demonstrated that repeated expert modeling helped students link data to conclusions, we asked whether explicitly scaffolding expert-like reading behaviors could improve students’ confidence and skill in critically evaluating primary literature. We also explored how this approach might influence students’ preferences for, and perceptions of, different sections of scientific papers to help them in the critical reading process.
/="/">Our intervention combined asynchronous Canvas activities with in-class worksheets that modeled expert strategies for dissecting research articles. To assess impact, we administered pre- and post-course surveys focused on student perceptions and behaviors, and included final exam questions designed to measure students’ critical evaluation skills. While our intervention was implemented in a science context, specifically in an Immunology lab course, the broader skills of evidence-based reasoning and critical reading are relevant and transferable across disciplines. The collection of student data in this study was approved by the University of British Columbia’s Behavioural Research Ethics Board (Project ID: H19-02879).
Elements of Engagement
Visitors to our poster will be able to review examples of how we guided students through the process of critically reading a scientific paper, including the key steps we encouraged students to take in their approach. We will share examples of the prompts and activities used to model expert reading behaviors, and attendees can view sample student responses from pre- and post-intervention surveys and assessments. We welcome discussion about strategies for helping students move from comprehension toward critical evaluation, and invite visitors to share their experiences and ideas for teaching critical reading skills across disciplines.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License
Modeling how experts read: A scaffolded approach to teaching critical reading of scientific papers
The Great Hall, Somerville House (room 3326)
Reading primary literature is considered an essential skill in science and related disciplines, and undergraduate courses offer an ideal environment for students to practice interpreting data and engaging with published research. While peer-reviewed publications are generally considered reliable, flaws and limitations can still occur, making it essential for students to approach scientific papers with a critical lens. Educational strategies such as the C.R.E.A.T.E. method (Hoskins et al., 2011) and the Figure Facts template (Round & Campbell, 2013) have been shown to improve students’ comprehension of research. However, these approaches often emphasize understanding over evaluation, and may not fully address how to critically assess the validity of a study.
/="/">Building on prior work by Sato et al. (2014), which demonstrated that repeated expert modeling helped students link data to conclusions, we asked whether explicitly scaffolding expert-like reading behaviors could improve students’ confidence and skill in critically evaluating primary literature. We also explored how this approach might influence students’ preferences for, and perceptions of, different sections of scientific papers to help them in the critical reading process.
/="/">Our intervention combined asynchronous Canvas activities with in-class worksheets that modeled expert strategies for dissecting research articles. To assess impact, we administered pre- and post-course surveys focused on student perceptions and behaviors, and included final exam questions designed to measure students’ critical evaluation skills. While our intervention was implemented in a science context, specifically in an Immunology lab course, the broader skills of evidence-based reasoning and critical reading are relevant and transferable across disciplines. The collection of student data in this study was approved by the University of British Columbia’s Behavioural Research Ethics Board (Project ID: H19-02879).