March 28, 2025. 13:00h. In-person and Zoom session (Room M204, Faculty of Psychology and Speech Therapy). Language: English.

Anna Paola Fallaci

University of Florence

The almost unlimited number of information sources available on the Internet and the possibility of integrating one's knowledge through the use of artificial intelligence tools offers readers unique opportunities to inform themselves, but this requires the use of advanced digital reading skills that go beyond what is necessary to understand a single text. To understand multiple texts in a digital environment, it is necessary to evaluate sources and integrate information from reliable sources (Bråten et al., 2020) with information from prior knowledge.

Prior knowledge is one of the most significant predictors of reading comprehension (Alexander & Jetton, 2000) and reading comprehension represents one of the most important aspects in learning. Prior knowledge is considered a multidimensional construct (McCarthy & McNamara, 2021). A reader’s prior knowledge could be low in quantity but largely accurate. This prior knowledge would be coherent and stronger than high in quantity. Therefore, considering knowledge across multiple dimensions is critical to developing assessments of prior knowledge and, in turn, to maximizing students’ strengths across various comprehension tasks.

In this regard, the aim of my study is to assess the reciprocal relationship between four components of prior knowledge and critical reading. I decided to examine four dimensions of prior knowledge both independently and interactively (McCarthy et al., 2023) and then I gave students two texts on a controversial topic to investigate how knowledge changes when reading. The results show that only two aspects of prior knowledge change after reading the texts. We can hypothesize that reading two texts is not enough to change students' misconceptions and the structure of their knowledge. In a future study, we can hypothesize to give students two refutation texts, because they promote the co-activation of the correct information from the text and the incorrect information possessed by the reader (Kendeou, 2024).

Bio

I studied Psychology in Florence and I’m doing the second year of the national PhD in Learning Sciences and Digital Technologies of the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia at the University of Florence. I work to promote critical reading skills for students in order to be able to inform themselves on topics that are important to society. In this regard my research focuses on the evaluation of sources and the integration of reliable sources with each other and with prior knowledge. Furthermore, I am interested in understanding how to teach students to use AI critically to inform themselves.