Exploring Positional Knowledge: Using Theory to Teach Bias

Fuente: ERIC Institute of Education Sciences
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Main Authors: Thomas C. Weeks, Melissa E. Johnson
Format: Recurso educativo Open Access
Language:en
Published: 2025
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author Thomas C. Weeks
Melissa E. Johnson
author_facet Thomas C. Weeks
Melissa E. Johnson
Thomas C. Weeks
Melissa E. Johnson
collection Education Resources Information Center
contents Exploring Positional Knowledge: Using Theory to Teach Bias Thomas C. Weeks Melissa E. Johnson Librarians Theories Value Judgment Bias Credibility Power Structure Information Sources Information Literacy Language Usage Evaluation Library Instruction Undergraduate Students In this article, the authors explain how librarians can use positionality theory to understand how students produce value judgments around questions of bias, authority, and credibility. Librarians can help guide students to recognize the student's own positionality when approaching issues of bias. Students are often instructed to choose credible sources for their research, which they often interpret as sources that avoid bias. Source evaluation tools and checklists, such as the CRAAP test and SIFT, also tell students to watch out for biased language. Unfortunately, many people, students and librarians alike, misunderstand bias and fail to recognize its significance in the information search process. Positionality theory, which locates individuals within their social context, offers librarians a way to conceptualize bias's function in information literacy as a social construct in order to teach students about the complexity of bias.
format Recurso educativo Open Access
id eric_EJ1479031
institution ERIC Institute of Education Sciences
language en
publishDate 2025
record_format eric
spellingShingle Exploring Positional Knowledge: Using Theory to Teach Bias
Thomas C. Weeks
Melissa E. Johnson
Librarians
Theories
Value Judgment
Bias
Credibility
Power Structure
Information Sources
Information Literacy
Language Usage
Evaluation
Library Instruction
Undergraduate Students
Exploring Positional Knowledge: Using Theory to Teach Bias Thomas C. Weeks Melissa E. Johnson Librarians Theories Value Judgment Bias Credibility Power Structure Information Sources Information Literacy Language Usage Evaluation Library Instruction Undergraduate Students In this article, the authors explain how librarians can use positionality theory to understand how students produce value judgments around questions of bias, authority, and credibility. Librarians can help guide students to recognize the student's own positionality when approaching issues of bias. Students are often instructed to choose credible sources for their research, which they often interpret as sources that avoid bias. Source evaluation tools and checklists, such as the CRAAP test and SIFT, also tell students to watch out for biased language. Unfortunately, many people, students and librarians alike, misunderstand bias and fail to recognize its significance in the information search process. Positionality theory, which locates individuals within their social context, offers librarians a way to conceptualize bias's function in information literacy as a social construct in order to teach students about the complexity of bias.
title Exploring Positional Knowledge: Using Theory to Teach Bias
topic Librarians
Theories
Value Judgment
Bias
Credibility
Power Structure
Information Sources
Information Literacy
Language Usage
Evaluation
Library Instruction
Undergraduate Students
url https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1479031