FAKE NEWS AWARENESS AND LEARNING NEEDS OF CRIMINOLOGY

STUDENTS IN SAINT FRANCIS XAVIER COLLEGE

 Chapter 1

INTRODUCTION

Rationale

As one of the best exemplars of student-centered learning needs, problem-

based learning (PBL) was developed in medical education in the early 1970s and has

expanded into a variety of disciplines (Savery, 2018) at a variety of education levels.

PBL is ideally suited for student-centered learning needs and offers the most advantage

in a student-centered classroom (Barrows & Tamblyn, 2018; Driessen & Van Der

Vleuten, 2019). This article explores the prospects and possibilities of incorporating PBL

into criminology and criminal justice education as a way to promote students’ higher

order thinking and problem-solving skills. First, this article discusses a variety of

learning theories and many corresponding instructional models. Second, this article

provides an overview of PBL and the empirical evidence for the effectiveness of

problem-based instruction. Third, this article offers theoretical foundations for adopting

PBL in the study of crime and criminal justice. Finally, for scaffolding instructors striving

to implement PBL, this article describes possible formats of implementation, as well as

identifies the challenges new PBL instructors may face during application and provides

specific suggestions.

According to Ge and Land (2018), ill-structured problems are defined as “those

that we encounter in everyday life, in which one or several aspects of the situation is not

well specified, the goals are unclear, and there is insufficient information to solve them”

(p. 5). When a problem is ill-structured, it is difficult to reach an agreement on what

specific solution is appropriate, and thus there is a larger individual variability in problem

solving (Jonassen, 2017). Second, students have responsibility for their own learning

needs. They decide what to learn and find appropriate information to solve the problems

from various resources (libraries, online, experts, and textbooks). Third, instructors act

as a class facilitator in the learning needs. Instructors assist students in developing

problem-solving skills by showing them how to learn rather than simply dispensing

information. Fourth, authenticity forms the learning process of PBL. The problem should

be relevant to students’ future careers and lives. The skills and activities required of

students in PBL should be those valued in real world.

On the other hand, there are many studies about fake news and learning needs

alternative facts and post-truth, but only a few of them focus on undergraduate students

and even less on secondary school students. This age group is crucial because it is

representative of iGen and Gen Z mindset and habits. It is the generation which is

studying right now, and that educational systems can vaccinate against such issues.

They know the importance of verifying the news, but often they do not do it (Melro &

Pereira, 2019; Rush, 2018). Generally, they are self-confident in learning needs to

detect fake news and misinformation, but they overestimate their ability. They are

usually able to detect a fake news headline, but they cannot detect more subtle ways of

conveying such news, for example, references to unauthoritative sources. Typically, if in

doubt, they ask for confirmation to friends and people they trust (Hülcen Dönmez et al.,

2018). In fact, one of their primary sources and mediators of news are their social

relations (such peers and professors.

 In Saint Francis Xavier College, problems with regards to the fake news

awareness and learning needs of criminology students in Saint Francis Xavier College

they said to be often observed by the people living in the place. There are some factors

that have been observed resulting to the fake news awareness and learning needs of

criminology students in Saint Francis Xavier College. Since, there are no studies has

been found yet the researchers have pointed that more research is needed in this area

of study. Moreover, the researchers have not found any research study to the influence

of fake news awareness and learning needs of criminology students in Saint Francis

Xavier College, this paper is to present the review on the fake news awareness and

learning needs of criminology students in Saint Francis Xavier College, this study is

proposed.

Research Objectives

The main objective of the study is to determine if there is a significant relationship

between fake news awareness and learning needs of criminology students in Saint

Francis Xavier College. Specifically, the study sought to answer the following objectives:

1. To assess the level of fake news awareness of criminology students in Saint

Francis Xavier College in terms of:

1.1 Knowledge, and

1.2 Perception ?

2. To find out the level learning needs of criminology students in Saint Francis

Xavier College in terms of:

2.1 Behavioral, and

2.2 Cognitive?
 3. To determine if there is a relationship between fake news awareness and

learning needs of criminology students in Saint Francis Xavier College.

Hypothesis

The null hypothesis is tested at 0.05 level of significance; stating that there is no

significant relationship between fake news awareness and learning needs of

criminology students in Saint Francis Xavier College.

Review of Related Literature

This part presents concepts, insights and ideas from various authors in the

support to the investigation undertaken by the researchers. Reviewed articles are from

various sources like books, journals, magazines, electronic references and other

reading materials related to fake news awareness and learning needs of criminology

students in Saint Francis Xavier College.

Fake News Awareness

Social networks are becoming one of the most important sources of news,

especially among young people. The traditional media, in particular, are steadily losing

ground, both in terms of perceived reliability and as a preferred news source (Notley et

al. 2017). Even in their role as ‘mediators’ between news-makers and the public, media

are suffering a form of disintermediation. Celebrities, politicians and protagonists of the

world of culture bypass all of the ‘old’ media by communicating directly with the public

via channels such as Twitter or Instagram (Mazzoleni, 2017). At the same time,

however, we are witnessing a transformation in the epistemic perception of online

information sources: trusting in a source because some form of recognised outside

authority guarantees it is giving way to trusting in a source because we personally

believe it to be authoritative and credible, often independently of its institutional role or

expertise (Fonagy et al., 2017).

This problem is a risk for society as a whole now that people are exposed to

news and content that is inexact or entirely untrue: what is now known as ‘fake news’

(Zhang & Ghorbani, 2020) (Lazer et al., 2018). Though fake news is generated

inadvertently at times, it is very often the result of processes designed to change

attitudes and opinion in a variety of social and political contexts (Wardle & Derakhshan,

2018). Some scholars thus distinguish ‘dis-information’ (i.e., information that is false and

deliberately created), ‘mis-information’ (defined as information that is false although the

person disseminating it believes it to be true) and mal-information (which is genuine

information or opinion shared to cause harm, e.g., hate speech, harassment, etc.)

(Wardle & Derakhshan, 2017). A significant amount of news originates on mainstream

media websites and is then posted and discussed on social networks. On the other

hand, some news does not come from readily traceable and verifiable sources and

generally concerns issues that the public views as having a strong emotional impact.

Consequently, it features communication styles, intentionality and content calculated to

cause surprise, exasperation or indignation (Bakir & McStay, 2017).

There are many studies about fake news, alternative facts and post-truth, but

only a few of them focus on undergraduate students and even less on secondary school

students. This age group is crucial because it is representative of iGen and Gen Z

mindset and habits. It is the generation which is studying right now, and that educational

systems can vaccinate against such issues. Those studies report that students are

engaged with the news (Head et al., 2018) and well aware of the fake news phenomena
(especially on the Internet). They know the importance of verifying the news, but often

they do not do it (Melro & Pereira, 2019). Generally, they are self-confident in their

ability to detect fake news and misinformation, but they overestimate their ability. They

are usually able to detect a fake news headline, but they cannot detect more subtle

ways of conveying such news, for example, references to unauthoritative sources. They

lack the experience to understand if a source - or a channel - through which the

information reaches them (e.g. social media) is trustworthy (Himma-Kadakas, 2017).

Typically, if in doubt, they ask for confirmation to friends and people they trust

(Hülcen Dönmez et al., 2018). In fact, one of their primary sources and mediators of

news are their social relations (such peers and professors). It is with them that news is

discussed, understood and trusted (Head et al., 2019). A broader study carried out in 27

countries found that only 41% of the public can understand whether the content

received via social media is true or false (Ipsos-MORI, 2018). Moreover, although

people are aware of the effects of fake news, they can also become inadvertent

vehicles for its spread: recent studies on the topic estimate, for example, show that

around 25% of Americans say they have shared unverified news stories (Barthel,

Mitchell & Holcomb, 2018). Often, such stories are shared in social networks after only

a few seconds spent in deciding how trustworthy the story’s source may be. They are

influenced by varying degrees of bias when the content deals with political or social

topics that are particularly sensitive (Asri & Sualman, 2019). It should also be borne in

mind that a great deal of fake news is designed to deceive.

Younger generations—those of school and university age—use social media

most and are naturally more exposed to fake news (Mese & Aydin 2019; Smith &
Anderson, 2018). They have trouble reasoning critically about the content of their social

media feeds (McGrew et al., 2017). Sharing rates also appear to be high, even though

some studies have found that only 44% of tweens and teens (aged 10-18) feel that they

can tell fake news stories from real ones (Robb, 2017). Significantly, a high percentage

of this age group (over 60% in some studies) say they shared a story they later found

was untrue at least once. The act of sharing itself is crucial and involves many cognitive

processes that take place in three stages: before, during and after sharing. The most

critical factors are mostly heuristic in nature (Flanagin, Winter & Metzger, 2018), e.g.,

the source’s reputation, whether others have already shared the news, and whether

multiple sources provide the news.

Learning Needs

The cognitive models of learning view a learner as an information processor and

focus on the internal mental processes of learning. The learner will attend and respond

selectively to external stimuli based on his or her prior knowledge and background. The

role of the instructor is to organize the content for the students so that it will be easier

for them to learn and to build instruction that enhances their cognitive capacity (Driscoll,

2019). Although cognitive theories provide detailed descriptions of the cognitive

processes for learning, they have had little impact on the practice of education

(Jonassen & Land, 2018). Cognitive psychologists relied more on knowledge

transmission and reception for cognitive development through lecturing.

Rooted in behavioral and cognitive models, traditional instruction poses several

problems for effective teaching and learning (Jonassen & Land, 2018). First, traditional

instruction is based on a communication model of instruction (submission/transmission).

The assumption is that knowledge is transmitted from instructors to students. What has

been overlooked in this model is the importance of active learning on the part of the

student. Second, traditional instruction focuses on the individual as the medium of

learning and overlooked the social nature of the process of making meaning; students

learn through social interaction with other peers and their environment.

The primary format of teaching under traditional instructional models is lecture-

based, teacher-centered learning (Birzer, 2018). Instructors decide what information

and skills students should learn and deliver them. It is the most efficient method of

dispensing content knowledge, especially when instructors can organize difficult

subjects into easily understood formats. However, when students are heterogeneous in

background, knowledge, or experience, a teacher centered method may not meet their

different educational interests and career needs. Students, in this situation, tend to

become passive recipients of information and less responsible for their own learning.

Finally, traditional instruction has been criticized for failing to promote advanced

knowledge acquisition while oversimplifying conceptual complexity in many knowledge

domains and focusing on memorizing facts and low-level concepts. These deficiencies

in the outcomes of student learning result from biases in the underlying assumptions

upon which traditional instruction is based (Spiro et al., 2019).

During the 1990s, constructivist learning theories emerged for new instructional

design. There are three fundamental shifts in the underlying assumptions about

teaching and learning (Jonassen & Land, 2018). First, learning is a process of making

meaning that is beyond simple knowledge transfer. Students should construct their own

knowledge and meaning from their learning and experiences. Second, making meaning
is a product of social negotiation with other humans, as well as one of internal

negotiation. For example, students should actively interact with their peers to construct

their own knowledge, and through making sense of those interactions, they can create

or modify their own knowledge. Third, learning takes place in association with any social

artifacts in the world, as well as other humans. Students should consider the

sociocultural and sociohistorical settings in which learning occurs (McCaslin & Good,

2019)

There have been many student-centered learning pedagogies reflecting

constructivist learning assumptions, such as PBL anchored instruction, cognitive

apprenticeships reciprocal teaching goal based scenarios computer-supported

collaborative learning (Stahl, Koschmann, & Suthers, 2018), case-based learning

project-based learning constructivist learning environments games and simulations and

open learning environments. As these student-centered learning approaches provide

more flexible alternatives to the design of instruction, students are able to make their

present learning relevant to their interests and needs and deepen their understanding

(Hannafin & Land, 2019).

PBL refers to a student-centered curriculum that empowers students to conduct

research and requires them to learn knowledge and skills while solving real work

problems in relevant and authentic contexts. Given that PBL has been used in a variety

of forms across disciplines and educational levels, it is imperative to identify some of its

essential characteristics to reduce possible misapplications and achieve the anticipated

learning outcomes (Maudsley, 2019). In detail four key elements of PBL.1 First, ill-
structured problems are presented to students in a way that they produce multiple

potential causes and solutions through free inquiry.

There have been a large number of prior studies to examine the effectiveness of

PBL. Most studies have been conducted in medical schools, but relatively little research

has occurred in other disciplines. For example, using a quasi-experimental research

design, Tayyeb (2018) examined the effectiveness of PBL to improve content

knowledge and critical thinking among medical students. He found that the PBL

curriculum is more effective than the traditional lecture-based curriculum in improving

critical thinking and problem-solving skills among medical students. In general, empirical

findings in prior studies are more favorable to PBL curriculum over traditional lecture-

based curriculum when it comes to student outcomes such as motivation, interest,

student satisfaction, clinical performance, deeper understanding, contextual learning,

self-directed learning, and/or self-regulated learning at various disciplines and

educational levels (e.g., Gallagher, Stepien, & Rosenthal, 2019).

Theoretical Framework

This theory is on Drewish, Al-Dousari & Al-Habel (2019) investigated the impact

of learning and information literacy (MIL) on education faculty students’ acquisition of

the skills needed to detect fake news. The results indicated that studying MIL has an

impact on students’ acquisition of the skills needed to detect fake news. The findings

also suggested that the methods students employed to identify and detect fake news

after studying the MIL course were scientific and well-reasoned. The generation that

was born and raised in the digital age is authentically empowered with digital

competence to reformulate knowledge and produce information in order to express

them creatively and appropriately in a digital environment. Young people use social

media platforms in large numbers to stay updated on what is happening, post content,

and engage with others, which can increase their vulnerability to fake media posts.

Manfra and Holmes (2019) argue that the young are becoming "technology addicts" as

they spend over 10 or 11 hours a day in front of the screen "passively consuming media

content." They are also unable to "evaluate, critically think, and solve problems.

The problem of fake news has underscored the importance of stimulating critical

thinking skills (i.e., information literacy) in the educational setting. Students should be

trained in these competencies, which will be useful to them in their schooling, as well as

in their later work and lives. The purpose of this study was to determine the knowledge

of the respondents about fake news. Also, to determine how they distinguish the facts

from fake news and the relationship of their socio-demographic profile to their

knowledge about fake news. A descriptive research design and purposive sampling

were used. A questionnaire was utilized to collect data which was composed of the

profile, questions regarding their knowledge about fake news, their perception on how

they distinguish fact from fake news and their source of knowledge (Bakir & McStay,

2018).

There have been many scholarly efforts to develop effective teaching and

learning environments in many disciplines. There are two main underlying traditional

learning theories: the behavioral and cognitive models. The behavioral models of

learning have their origins in the research and theories of Pavlov (2017). Learning is the

acquisition of new behavior through a rewarding or reinforcing stimulus. Behavioral

psychologists focus on stimuli in the external environment and their impact on changes
in human behavior. The educator’s role is to arrange the environment, so that it

produces behavioral changes in the desired direction. Behavioral instruction is

appropriate for skill development and training. However, the behavioral models of

learning view a learner as a passive recipient of knowledge and overlook the individual’s

mental processes (Jonassen & Land, 2018).

Conceptual Framework

Presented in Figure 1 is the conceptual framework of the study. The independent

variable of this study is the fake news awareness with the following indicator: Knowledge

and Perception

The dependent variable is the learning needs with the following indicators:

behavioral and cognitive.

. Independent Variable Dependent Variable

FAKE NEWS LEARNING NEEDS

AWARENESS  Behavioral

 Cognitive
 Knowledge

 Perception

Figure 1. The Conceptual Framework of the Study

Significance of the Study

The findings of this research may provide some insights on how to handle fake

news awareness and learning needs of criminology students in Saint Francis Xavier

College. In addition, the results of the study may eventually help the criminology

students to be able to know about fake news awareness and learning needs. Lastly,

this study may help future researchers in providing the outcome. This study was given

them a factual basis to start a study that includes the said variables that are present

here in the study.

Definition of Terms

In order for the readers to understand this study, the following terminologies

together with their respective meanings are presented below.

Fake news awareness. In this study, the false or misleading information

presented as news. The term is a neologism (a new or re-purposed expression that is

entering the language, driven by culture or technology changes)

Learning Needs. In this study, the gap between the learner's current level of

knowledge and skills, and the level of knowledge and skills required to perform a task or

a set of tasks.
 Chapter 2

METHODS
This chapter presents the method to be used in conducting the research which

includes the research design, research subject, research instrument, Statistical tools,

and statistical tools.

Research Design

This study will be used a quantitative non-experimental research design utilizing

correlational technique. It is used to quantify attitudes, opinions, behaviors, and other

defined variables – and generalize results from a larger sample population. Descriptive

method involves collecting of data to test the null hypothesis and to answer the question

concerning present study (Gay, 2012).

This survey deals on quantitative data about the said phenomenon. The

quantitative aspect is an appropriate schedule for gathering the data design from the

target respondents to answer the questions. The process of gathering the data is based

through the use of questionnaire. The focus of the study is to determine the level of fake

news awareness and learning needs of criminology students in Saint Francis Xavier

College.

Research Locale

The findings of the study are specific to the context of in Saint Francis Xavier

College. Possibility for the general applicability of the findings was limited by the scope,

and the sample.

Figure 2. Map of the San Francisco Agusan Del Sur
 Accordingly, San Francisco, officially the Municipality of San

Francisco (Cebuano: Lungsod sa San Francisco; Tagalog: Bayan ng San Francisco), is

a 1st class municipality in the province of Agusan del Sur, Philippines. According to the

2020 census, it has a population of 80,760 people.

Saint Francis Xavier College (SFXC) is private educational institution that offers

tertiary education in  the municipality of San Francisco, Agusan Del Sur. It is duly

approved and recognized by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED). It offers

undergraduate programs in Information Technology, Business Administration and

Teaher Education.  The location of the respondents is located at Saint Francis Xavier

College the place where we conducting our surveys by using questionnaires.

Population and Sample

In this study, we used simple random sampling. Simple random sampling

according to Pinkham (1987) described a simple method to take a simple random

sample of individuals from a population without a list sampling frame a proportion from

strata of the population is selected using a simple random sample. Table 1 shows the

distribution of respondents of the study who are students in Saint Francis Xavier

College.

Distribution of Respondents

Criminology students No. of Respondents

Male

Female

Total
Research Instrument

The instrument will be used in this study is a researcher-made questionnaire.

The questionnaire is make in simple, plain, short, and concise a sentence that is

provided easy and straightforward understanding to the respondents.

The following range of means with their respective used to descriptive equivalent

and interpretation will consider in fake news awareness and learning needs of

criminology students in Saint Francis Xavier College.

Range of Mean Descriptive Interpretation

Equivalent

4.3-5.0 Very High This means that fake news awareness

and learning needs of criminology
students in Saint Francis Xavier College
is very much evident.

3.5-4.2 High This means that fake news awareness

and learning needs of criminology
students in Saint Francis Xavier College
is much evident.

2.7-3.4 Moderate This means that fake news awareness

and learning needs of criminology
students in Saint Francis Xavier College
is moderately evident.

1.9-2.6 Low This means that fake news awareness

and learning needs of criminology
students in Saint Francis Xavier College
is less evident.

1.0-1.8 Very Low This means that fake news awareness

and learning needs of criminology
students in Saint Francis Xavier College
is not evident.
Data Collection

This method is determined how the ratings for the following questionnaire make

by the researchers for the respondents that validate by the experts and ask conduct a

study from the respondents to gather a data and analysis.

The researchers ask permission to the Dean of College to conduct a study for

gathering data. The letter of endorsement is once needed to accommodate the

researchers to administer the survey questionnaire of the respondents of the study.

Furthermore, the researchers have face to face to survey questionnaire of the

respondents had answer all the items. Finally, the researchers tall and tabulate all the

data gather from the respondents subject to statistical analysis. The statistical result is

analyze and interpreted with the data conclusion will draw and recommendation will

formulate base on the finding of the study.

Statistical tools

The following statistical tools will be used for the treatment of the gathered data:

Mean. This statistical tool is used to determine the level of fake news awareness

and learning needs of criminology students in Saint Francis Xavier College.

Pearson (r). This will be used to determine the significant relationship between

fake news awareness and learning needs of criminology students in Saint Francis

Xavier College.