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THINK BEFORE YOU CLICK: STUDENTS’ ABILITIES TO

IDENTIFY FALSE INFORMATION

____________________

A Qualitative Research Study

Presented to the Faculty of Lussoc National High School

Lussoc, Sto. Domingo, Ilocos Sur

____________________

In Partial Fulfillment

Of the Requirements for the Subject

Inquiries, Investigation, and Immersion

____________________

PARADO, GERRINE ANGEL

TABUNO, BRYAN

TABUNO, RALPH JUREN

LAZARO, CRIZTAL JOY

TABANGIN, CRISTINA MAE

2022

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CERTIFICATION

This qualitative research entitled, “THINK BEFORE YOU CLICK:

STUDENTS’ ABILITIES TO IDENTIFY FALSE INFORMATION,” conducted

and submitted by Gerrine Angel Parado, Bryan Tabuno, Ralph Juren Tabuno,

Criztal Joy Lazaro, and Cristina Mae Tabangin in partial fulfillment of the

requirements for the Subject, Inquiries, Investigation and Immersion, has been

examined and recommended for acceptance and approval for Oral Examination.

SHERWIN ASHLEI V. TINAZA, MAME


Research Teacher

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APPROVAL SHEET

Approved by the PANEL OF EXAMINERS on Oral Examination with a

grade of _______________.

MAECY JOY R. NAVARRO


Chairman

JASPER NEIL E. PED RB P. BAPTISTA


Member Member

Accepted and approved in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the

subject Inquiries, Investigation and Immersion.

FLORA B. TINAZA, EdD


School Principal III

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

The completion of this research study could have not been possible

without the participation and assistance of so many people whose names may

not all be enumerated. Their contributions are sincerely appreciated and

gratefully acknowledged. However, the researchers would like to express their

deep appreciation particularly to the following:

First, to Mr. Sherwin Ashlei V. Tinaza, Inquiries, Investigation, and

Immersion subject teacher, for his constant guidance and regular interaction

throughout our research work. His dynamism, vision, sincerity and motivation

have deeply inspired us.

Likewise, to Mrs. Flora B. Tinaza, School Principal III, for granting

the researchers’ request to conduct and gather pertinent data for their study at

Lussoc National High School.

To the panel members, for their advice and recommendations.

Also, to our humble and easy to approach respondents, we are

extremely grateful for the time, effort, and support you’ve rendered for us.

Above all, to the Great Almighty, for His showers of blessings

throughout our research work to complete the research successfully.

G.A.P

B.T

R.J.T

C.J.L

C.M.T

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DEDICATION

This work is a fruit of countless sacrifices. This study is sincerely

dedicated to our ever supportive and beloved parents, who have been our

source of strength, inspiration, and motivation throughout this research study.

Their continuous moral, emotional, spiritual, and financial support to us has

greatly helped us finish this research.

Also, we dedicate this research study to our research subject teacher

and at the same time our adviser, Mr. Sherwin Ashlei V. Tinaza, for his

immense effort and patience to guide us throughout the research and helped us

to better understand the key points of this research.

Furthermore, to our circle of friends and classmates, whom extended

their help and encouragement in the midst of problem while doing this study.

Last but not the least, to our Almighty God, for his guidance, blessings,

power of mind, and for giving us a healthy life to be able to successfully carry

out this research. All of these, we offer to you.

The Researchers

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ABSTRACT

GERRINE ANGEL PARADO; BRYAN TABUNO; RALPH JUREN TABUNO;


CRIZTAL JOY LAZARO; CRISTINA MAE TABANGIN, June 2022. THINK
BEFORE YOU CLICK: STUDENTS ABILITIES TO IDENTIFY FALSE
INFORMATION. Lussoc National High School, Lussoc, Sto. Domingo, Ilocos Sur.

Adviser: SHERWIN ASHLEI V. TINAZA

This study aimed to find out the students’ abilities of the senior high school

students of Lussoc National High School on how they identify false information, as

well as to raise awareness to the students about false information.

The purpose of this study was to investigate and explain the abilities of senior

high school students in Lussoc National High School to identify false information. It

was performed among 10 selected Grade 11 and 12 students from Lussoc National

High School. The participants were chosen based on the following criteria for

inclusion: (1) Grade 11 and 12 students of Lussoc National High School; (2) male or

female; (3) very much willing to participate as a respondent of the study.

The key findings of the research study are described using coding, thematic

analysis, and bracketing as data analysis tools: The following were the major themes

that arose from the research: There were three (3) key motifs that emerged: (1)

Reliable sources of information, (2) Credibility of Information, and (3) Skills Needed

to Evaluate False Information.

It was established that the senior high school students know how to spot false

information, opinions about Wikipedia being not a credible source, evaluate the

authors’ backgrounds, and know the importance of timeliness of the information.

Furthermore, the participants showed that they have the skills to fact-check and

eliminate false information. Overall, fake news is extremely unethical, which is why

we must stop spreading it. Instead, we must raise awareness in our community

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regarding false information, which leads us towards better and more responsible use

of the media and information.

The following recommendations are forwarded: (1) Students must disseminate

knowledge on how to spot and eliminate false information to their families and in

their respective communities; (2) The students are encouraged to participate and listen

attentively to their Media and Information Literacy subject teacher so that they can

enhance their knowledge and skills to identify false information; (3) The school

should hold a quarterly program about dissemination on how to evaluate false

information with the help of media and information experts; (4) Since the study has

limitations, it requires an in-depth exploration. More participants shall be considered

to gather more in-depth data involving a wider number of respondents and a larger

locality.

Keywords: False information, SHS students, Themes

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Title Page…………………………………………………………………i

Certification……...………………………………………………………ii

Approval Sheet………………………………………………………….iii

Acknowledgement………………………………………………………iv

Dedication………………………………………………………………..v

Abstract……………………………………………………………..vi-vii

CHAPTER I……………………………………………………………..1

Background of the Study……………………………………..1-3

Statement of the Problem………………………………………3

Scope and Delimitation…………………………………………4

Significance of the Study……………………………………….4

Operational Definition of Terms………………………………5

Review of Related Literature………………………………5-15

Conceptual Framework………………………………………16

CHAPTER II

Research Design……………………………………………….17

Participants of the Study……………………………………...17

Data Gathering Instrument………………………………..…18

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Data Gathering Procedure…………………………………...18

Ethical Considerations……………………………………20-21

CHAPTER III………………………………………………………..22

Results and Discussion…………………………………...22-33

CHAPTER IV………………………………………………………..34

Summary……………………………………………………..34

Findings…………………………………………………...34-35

Conclusions…………………………………………………..35

Recommendations…………………………………………...36

BIBLIOGRAPHY……………………………………………….37-40

APPENDICES

Appendix A…………………………………………………41

Appendix B……………………………………………...42-45

CURRICULUM VITAE……………………………………….46-50

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CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

Trolls are everywhere, and misinformation can be seen here and there. During

the election campaign period, misleading articles about the politicians were

circulating on the internet. In the current generation, social networking sites or web-

based services have evolved, gathering information has evolved in different ways and

become easy to access. That includes information that is spread online, users online

create, share and stay informed about trending events. However, much of the recent

information appearing on social media is dubious and, in some cases, intended to

mislead. Such content is often called "fake news." Fake news, or in other cases known

as information disorder, is content that is fake with the aim of damaging a reputation

or creating misunderstandings among people. Fake news can ruin one’s reputation,

and that is the last thing we want to happen to someone, and also to ourselves.

Fake news has been a major problem in the context of internet-based media

and that information, people believe it and share that information with other people.

That leads to the spread of fake news. People who share information tend to add or

remove information, which leads to misinterpretation of the information provided by

the source. The spread of fake news has the potential to damage someone’s public

image. That’s exactly what’s going on in the Philippines. And the unfortunate reality

is that many people believe the misinformation made by trolls for the actual benefit of

someone. Although social media is a quick and easy way to collect data and news and

remain in touch with friends and family, it may be difficult to tell the difference

between real and fake news on the network. Students are having difficulty spotting

incorrect or misinformation online. For instance, an article published on

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https://www.npr.org/entitled "Students Have ‘Dismaying’ Inability to Tell Fake

News", by Camila Domonoske and Sam Wineburg (2016), a professor of education

and history at Stanford University and the lead author of the study, spoke to NPR and

said that they showed high school students a photograph of strange-looking flowers.

The caption read, "Fukushima Nuclear Flowers: Not much more to say, this is what

happens when flowers get nuclear birth defects." He added, "The photograph had no

attribution." "There was nothing that indicated that it was from anywhere," he said.

"We asked students, ‘Does this photograph provide proof that the kind of nuclear

disaster that caused these aberrations in nature?’ And we found that over 80 percent of

the high school students that we gave this to had an extremely difficult time making

that determination." They didn’t ask where it came from. They didn’t verify it. They

simply accepted the picture as fact.

Furthermore, it is critical for institutions of higher learning to teach

information literacy classes in schools. This will educate students with the skills they

need to identify, evaluate, appreciate, and use reliable information. Information

literacy is a lifetime skill with numerous applications in everyday life. For instance,

according to Jake Maher (2020), who published an article on

https://www.edweek.org/entitled "Fake News is Everywhere." But Students Can Be

Taught to Spot it. " Helen Bouygues, founder and president of the Reboot Foundation,

said in an interview, "By reframing, reminding, giving tools to children to better spot

fake news, there is a ‘before’ and 'after'." It actually has an impact. " And Bouygues

also said, "There are reasons why children are more vulnerable to fake news and

misinformation online." One is that they’re more likely to get a majority of news and

information online, where fake news proliferates, than older generations are. And

they’re more susceptible to the kinds of emotional appeals that fake news relies on

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because their emotional management is less developed. " Furthermore, in the previous

studies, the results stated that the effect of spreading and misleading information is

that everyone has a problem with identifying fake news due to the lack of knowledge

within people. It is critical to have literary knowledge and knowledge of identifying

information in order to combat fake news.

In this connection, the aim of this research study is to evaluate students’

current capability to identify true and false information; assist students in identifying

and avoiding misleading information as well as finding answers to things that are

unknown; and fill knowledge gaps in order for people to have the abilities that are

needed to identify information. 

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

The study aimed to determine the abilities of the senior high school

students on identifying such information.

Specifically, it sought to answer the following questions:

1. What are the different sources that can be trusted when gathering

information?

2. How to determine the credibility of such information?

3. What are the different skills on gathering and sharing information?

SCOPE AND DELIMITATION OF THE STUDY

This study focused on the abilities of senior high school studentsto

identify false information. The primary subjects of this research study were the

senior high school students studying at Lussoc National High School. The

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respondents were limited to ten (10) Senior High School Students of Lussoc

National High School.

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

The researchers hoped that this qualitative research study will benefit the

following:

Students. The results of the study will be of great benefit to the

students. So that they will not be misinform by such information. Also, in this

way, they can help spread genuine information and spread awareness to

everyone.

Community. This study will benefit the community in a way that it

helps the individuals on how to identify information regarding its source and

credibility. In this way, we can prevent the increase of fake news around us

and on the internet.

Researchers. The researchers will benefit in this study by acquiring

vast knowledge regarding on how to identify the source and credibility of

information through this entire research study. Moreover, to raise awareness

about dis-information.

OPERATIONAL DEFINITION OF TERMS

The following terminologies were defined in the context in which they

are used in the study for clarity and understanding.

Abilities. It is the talent or skill of the participants to do identify false

information.

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Senior High School Students. These are the participants who are

studying at Lussoc National High School.

Information. Any set of facts, knowledge, news, or advice, whether

communicated by others or obtained by personal study and

investigation.

Fake News. This is a false or misleading information presented as

news.

Skills. It is the ability that can be learned to identify and evaluate false

information.

Sources. It is the origin of information that can be obtained.

Credibility. It is the quality of information being reliable or

trustworthy.

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

This part dealt with pertinent literature and research studies that have

asignificant bearing on this study.

Sources of Information

According to University of Minnesota Crookston

(https://crk.umn.edu/library/primary-secondary-and-tertiary-sources ), sources of

information or evidence are often categorized as primary, secondary, or tertiary

material. These classifications are based on the originality of the material and

the proximity of the source or origin. This informs the reader as to whether the

author is reporting information that is first hand or is conveying the experiences

and opinions of others which is considered second hand. Determining if a source

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is primary, secondary or tertiary can be tricky. Below you will find a description

of the three categories of information and examples to help you make a

determination.

Primary Sources

These sources are records of events or evidence as they are first

described or actually happened without any interpretation or

commentary. It is information that is shown for the first time or original

materials on which other researches are based.  Primary sources display

original thinking, report on new discoveries, or share fresh information.

Examples of primary sources:

Theses, dissertations, scholarly journal articles (research based),

some government reports, symposia and conference proceedings, original

artwork, poems, photographs, speeches, letters, memos, personal

narratives, diaries, interviews, autobiographies, and correspondence.

Secondary Sources

These sources offer an analysis or restatement of primary sources.

They often try to describe or explain primary sources. They tend to be

works which summarize, interpret, reorganize, or otherwise provide an

added value to a primary source.

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Examples of Secondary Sources:

Textbooks, edited works, books and articles that interpret or

review research works, histories, biographies, literary criticism and

interpretation, reviews of law and legislation, political analyses and

commentaries.

Tertiary Sources

These are sources that index, abstract, organize, compile, or digest

other sources. Some reference materials and textbooks are considered

tertiary sources when their chief purpose is to list, summarize or simply

repackage ideas or other information. Tertiary sources are usually not

credited to a particular author.

Examples of Tertiary Sources:

Dictionaries/encyclopedias (may also be secondary), almanacs,

fact books, Wikipedia, bibliographies (may also be secondary),

directories, guidebooks, manuals, handbooks, and textbooks (may be

secondary), indexing and abstracting sources.

Evaluating Credibility

Evaluating Sources

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As cited in https://guides.lib.byu.edu/c.php?

g=216340&p=1428399 (BYU Library), in your search for information, you

eventually face the challenge of evaluating the resources you have located and

selecting those you judge to be most appropriate for your needs. Examine each

information source you locate and assess sources using the following criteria:

Timeliness

Your resources need to be recent enough for your topic. If your paper

is on a topic like cancer research, you would want the most recent information,

but a topic such as World War II could use information written in a broader

time range.

Authority

Does the information come from an author or organization that has

authority to speak on your topic? Has the information been peer-reviewed?

(You can use Ulrichsweb to determine if a journal is peer-reviewed). Do they

cite their credentials? Be sure there is sufficient documentation to help you

determine whether the publication is reliable including footnotes,

bibliographies, credits, or quotations.

Audience

Who are the intended readers and what is the publication's purpose?

There is a difference between a magazine written for the general public and a

journal written for professors and experts in the field.

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Relevance

Does this article relate to your topic? What connection can be made

between the information that is presented and your thesis? An easy way to

check for relevance is by reviewing the Abstract or Summary of the article

before downloading the entire article.

Perspective

Biased sources can be helpful in creating and developing an argument,

but make sure you find sources to help you understand the other side as well.

Extremely biased sources will often misrepresent information and that can be

ineffective to use in your paper.

Evaluating Websites

Websites create an interesting challenge in evaluating credibility and

usefulness because no two websites are created the same way. The TAARP

method described above can be used, but there are additional things you want

to consider when looking at a website:

The look and feel of the website - Reliable websites usually have a more

professional look and feel than personal Web sites.

The URL of your results - The .com, .edu, .gov, .net, and .org all actually

mean something and can help you to evaluate the website!

 Informational Resources are those which present factual information.

These are usually sponsored by educational institutions or governmental

agencies. (These sources often include .edu or .gov)

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 Advocacy Resources are those sponsored by an organization that is trying to

sell ideas or influence public opinion. (These resources may

include .org within the URL.)

 Business or Marketing Resources are those sponsored by a commercial

entity that is trying to sell products. These pages are often very biased, but can

provide useful information. (You will usually find .com within the URL of

these resources.)

 News Resources are those which provide extremely current information on

hot topics. Most of the time news sources are not as credible as academic

journals, and newspapers range in credibility from paper to paper. (The URL

will usually include .com.)

 Personal Web Pages/Resources are sites such as social media sites: blogs,

Twitter pages, Facebook, etc. These sources can be helpful to determine what

people are saying on a topic and what discussions are taking place. Exercise

great caution if trying to incorporate these sources directly into an academic

paper. Very rarely, if ever, will they hold any weight in the scholarly

community.

Are there advertisements on the site? - Advertisements can indicate that

the information may be less reliable.

Check the links on the page - Broken or incorrect links can mean that no

one is taking care of the site and that other information on it may be out-of-

date or unreliable.

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Check when the page was last updated - Dates when pages were last

updated are valuable clues to its currency and accuracy.

The Information Disorder

Information Disorder refers to the many ways our information

environment is polluted – content is fake, used out of context, or weaponized to

attack certain individuals or groups of people. There are three categories of

Information Disorder: Mis-information, Disinformation, and Mal-information.

1. Misinformation – refers to information that is false, but the person sharing or

disseminating it unknowingly perceives it as something true.

A. False connection – when headlines or visuals do not support the content

B. Misleading content - by cropping photos or choosing quotes or statistics

selectively

2. Disinformation – refers to content that contains false information with the

deliberate intention to mislead or deceive the audience.

A. False context – when genuine content is re-circulated out of its original

context.

B. Imposter content – persons’ bylines used alongside articles they did not

write, or organizations’ logos used in videos or images they did not create.

C. Manipulated content – when genuine content is manipulated to deceive D.

Fabricated content – fabricated “news sites” or fabricated visual.

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3. Mal-information – refers to information that is based on reality but is used

to inflict harm Examples:

A. Leaks to the press of private information for personal or corporate interest

(e.g., revenge porn).

B. Using a picture (e.g., of a dead child, with no context or false context) in an

effort to ignite hatred of a particular ethnic group.

Accuracy, Reliability, and Value of information

Although, the value of information would also depend on the need of

the user, but these are the key skills you need to get the right information.

1. Reliability of information - Information is said to be reliable if it can be

verified and evaluated. Others refer to the trustworthiness of the source in

evaluating the reliability of information.

2. Accuracy of information - Accuracy refers to the closeness of the report to

the actual data. Measurement of accuracy varies, depending on the type of

information being evaluated. Forecasts are said to be accurate if the report is

like the actual data. Financial information is considered accurate if the values

are correct, properly classified, and presented.

3. Value of information - Information is said to be of value if it aids the user

in making or improving decisions.

4. Authority of the source - Much of the information we gather daily do not

come from a primary source but are passed on through secondary sources such

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as writers, reporters, and the like. Sources with an established expertise on the

subject matter are considered as having sound authority on the subject.

5. Timeliness - Reliability, accuracy, and value of information may vary based

on the time it was produced or acquired. While a piece of information may

have been found accurate, reliable, and valuable during the time it was

produced, it may become irrelevant and inaccurate with the passing of time

(thus making it less valuable). Other information may be timeless, proven to

be the same in reliability, accuracy, and value throughout history.

Truth of Varying Shades: Analyzing Language in Fake News and Political Fact-

Checking.

In Proceedings of the 2017 Conference on Empirical Methods in

Natural Language Processing, pages 2931–2937, Copenhagen, Denmark.

Association for Computational Linguistics.

A study conducted by Hannah Rashkin, et al (2017) stated that words

in the news media and political debate have a significant impact on people's

thoughts and opinions. As a result, their honesty is frequently compromised in

order to enhance impact. Fake news has recently piqued global interest, and

the number of groups dedicated only to fact-checking has nearly tripled since

2014. Organizations like PolitiFact.com aggressively research and rate the

truthfulness of prominent figures, journalists, and organizations' views. Their

findings demonstrate that first-person and second-person pronouns are used

more frequently in news that is less trustworthy or deceitful. This is in contrast

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to other studies (Newman et al., 2003), which revealed fewer self-references in

people lying about their own ideas. News writers, unlike those in that domain,

are attempting to appear uninterested. One reason this result varies from other

lie detection domains is because editors at trustworthy sites are likely to be

stricter about deleting language that appears too personal. Instead, this finding

supports prior research in written domains by Ott et al. (2011) and Rayson et

al. (2001), who discovered that such pronouns were suggestive of imaginative

writing. Perhaps imaginative narrative domains are a better match for

detecting untrustworthy news than opinion lie detection. Psycholinguistic

work in deception detection Deception Detection Psycholinguistic work in

interpersonal deception theory (Buller and Burgoon, 1996) has postulated that

certain speech patterns can be signs of a speaker trying to purposefully

obscure the truth. Hedge words and other vague qualifiers (Choi et al., 2012;

Recasens et al., 2013), for example, may add indirectness to a statement that

obscures its meaning. Linguistic aspects deception detection has been well-

studied in a variety of NLP applications (Ott et al., 2011; Mihalcea and

Strapparava, 2009; Jindal and Liu, 2008; Girlea et al., 2016; Zhou et al.,

2004). In these applications, people purposefully tell lies to receive an

extrinsic payoff. In our study, we compare varying types of unreliable news

source, created with differing intents and levels of veracity. Fact-Checking and

Fake News There is research in political science exploring how effective fact-

checking is at improving people’s awareness (Lord et al., 1979; Thorson,

2016; Nyhan and Reifler, 2015). Prior computational works (Vlachos and

Riedel, 2014; Ciampaglia et al., 2015) have proposed fact-checking through

entailment from knowledge bases. Our work takes a more linguistic approach,

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performing lexical analysis over varying types of falsehood. Biyani et al.

(2016) examined the unique linguistic styles found in clickbait articles, and

Kumar et al. (2016) also characterize hoax documents on Wikipedia. The

differentiation between these fake news types is also proposed in previous

work (Rubin et al., 2015). Our paper extends this work by offering a

quantitative study of linguistic differences found in articles of different types

of fake news, and build predictive models for graded deception across multiple

domains – PolitiFact and news articles. More recent work (Wang, 2017) has

also investigated PolitiFact data though they investigated meta-data features

for prediction whereas our investigation is focused on linguistic analysis

through stylistic lexicons.

Conceptual Framework

The figure below provided the conceptual framework of this qualitative study.

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CREDIBILITY

SOURCES SKILLS

Think Before You Click:


Students’ Abilities to Identify
False Information

Figure 1. The Conceptual Paradigm

The figure above depicted the framework of the qualitative research study

which focused to determine the abilities of the senior high school students to identify

false information. This study determined three (3) concepts: 1) Sources; 2)

Credibility; and 3) Skills.

CHAPTER II

METHODOLOGY

This section presented the research design, study participants, data gathering

instrument and procedure, ethical considerations, and data analysis in this study.

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Research Design. The purpose of this study was to investigate and explain the

abilities of the senior high school students on identifying information.

Phenomenology is a study method that aims to describe the essence of a phenomenon

by looking at it through the eyes of individuals who have lived through it (Neubauer,

Witkop, & Varpio, 2019). It is also suited for this study since it tries to better

comprehend through first-hand experience, authentic experience, accurate reporting,

and actual dialogue excerpts. It seeks to discover the meanings that the participants

attach to their behavior, interpret situations and their perspectives on a particular

phenomenon. Its goal is to develop concepts that help us understand social

phenomena in natural rather than experimental settings, emphasizing all participants'

meanings, experiences, and views.

Participants. The researcher involved selected Grade 12 senior high school students

at Lussoc National High School. It used purposive sampling in selecting the

respondents. Purposive sampling is the best method for qualitative research because it

identifies a key informant who possesses the needed data to answer the interview

questions. The participants were recruited based on the following inclusion criteria:

(1) Grade 11 and 12 students of Lussoc National High School, (2) male or female, (3)

very much willing to participate as a respondent of the study.

Data Gathering Instrument. The research proposal will be examined and approved

by the Research Subject Teacher to guarantee that the participants are safe. The

selected individuals will be given an assent form and parental agreement, stating that

their participation would be voluntary. They have the right to withdraw from

involvement at any time, for any reason, with no explanation or consequences,

including the potential benefits and hazards. All participants will give their written

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informed consent to participate in the interviews and permission to use audio

recordings throughout the discussion.

The researchers will act as a data collector, taking down all the information

that will be gathered. Individual in-depth interviews with learners who met the above

criteria will be done in a semi-structured format. The goal is for the participants to

share their firsthand accounts of identifying information. The interviews will be

conducted in a conversational setting, with the interviewer utilizing active listening

skills. The interviews will be tape-recorded, verbatim transcribed, and the

transcriptions double-checked for accuracy.

Data Gathering Procedure. The researchers will make an interview guide in order to

gather data on how the senior high school students of Lussoc National High School

identify such information if it is true or false. The interview guide will be pilot tested

to senior high school students in order to test its reliability index. The interview with

the respondents will be transcribed and analyzed in order to determine the effects of

modular distance learning to them.

Data Analysis. Qualitative research data analysis aims to discover, comprehend, and

characterize a phenomenon through analyzing the data and its significance (Bayani,

2017). The systematic search for significance in data is known as data analysis. It is

also a technique of analyzing the qualitative data acquired and communicating what

has been discovered.

The researchers will use Colaizzi's Seven Steps of Data Analysis (Morrow et al.,

2015) to characterize and investigate the lived experience of out-of-field mathematics

teachers when analyzing the data for this study. The Seven Steps of Colaizzi are as

follows:

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Familiarization. Each transcript will be read many times to understand

the full content. The researcher will do bracketing to explore the participant's

phenomenon experienced by the participant/s considering the feelings, thoughts,

and ideas.

Identifying Significant statements. Significant statements and phrases

will be identified. Each statement will be written then translated in a separate

sheet coded accordingly with transcripts, pages, and lines.

Formulating meanings. The formulation of the meaning of the

significant statements will be done. Codes will be provided for each underlying

meaning in one category from the detailed description. Formulated meanings

will be checked with the original meanings and finalized after corrections from

an expert researcher who agreed that the process is correct and the meanings are

consistent.

Clustering Themes. After finalizing the meanings done by the

researcher, groupings of all those formulated meanings will be processed into

categories. Reflecting unique structures of clusters of themes will be made.

Each topic cluster will be coded, including all stated meanings associated with

the group meanings. After, which group of clusters of themes reflecting a

particular point is done.

Developing an Exhaustive Description. At this stage, all emergent

themes from a thorough description will be defined. Based on the themes, the

whole structure of the phenomenon is emerged.

Producing the Fundamental Structure. In this step, the findings with

repetitions, wrong usage, and uncalled-for descriptions will be eliminated from

the whole structure. Hence, the emphasis on the fundamental structure is well-

19
defined. Corrections specified the real meaning of the relationship between the

clusters of themes from the extracted themes. All unnecessary structures that

affect the full description will be removed.

Seeking Verification of the Fundamental Structure. This step

validated the findings using the "member checking" strategy by returning to the

participant/s and discussing the results. Permitted visits to the participant/s were

made possible to evaluate the findings through their confirmation personally

during the scheduled visit.

Ethical Considerations

The following ethical principles were followed during the investigation.

Conflict of Interest. There was no conflict of interest in the study's conduct

because the researchers are only interested in the participants' abilities on

identifying information for research purposes.

Privacy and Confidentiality. By assigning codes/pseudonyms to the responses,

the researcher will ensure the anonymity and confidentiality of the

participants. All documents about the participants will be kept in a lockable

file cabinet. The materials will be shredded after the research is completed,

and the recorded interview will be removed.

Informed Consent. The researchers will provide the participants with proper

orientation on the purpose of the study. The benefits that they get from the

research will be explained to them. Their willingness to participate by

answering the questions during the interview is tantamount to implied consent.

Recruitment. Voluntary participation will be solicited from the respondents.

The researchers will tell that they might opt out of the study at any moment.

20
Risk. During the research, the researchers will ensure that the participants'

dignity, autonomy, and involuntariness were not jeopardized.

Benefits. The participants will be benefited from the study because the result

will be used to develop suitable support programs for them.

CHAPTER III

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

21
This part of the qualitative research study presented the data that were

gathered from the selected participants regarding their abilities to identify false

information.

False information or fake news is drastically spreading everywhere, most

especially on the internet. As a result, many citizens believe false information without

doing further research to see whether it is accurate or not.

In the participants’ accounts of their abilities to identify false information,

three (3) key themes emerged. As illustrated in Figure 2, these are: Reliable Sources

of Information; Credibility of Information; and the Skills Needed to Evaluate False

Information.

RELIABLE
SOURCES OF
INFORMATION
- Students’ Ways
CREDIBILITY OF of Identifying
SKILLS NEEDED
INFORMATION Reliable
TO EVALUATE
Sources
- Spotting False FALSE
- The Most
Information INFORMATION
Trustworthy
- Wikipedia is Source of - Students’ Ways
not Credible Information to Fact-check
- Opinion about - All Internet False
the Author’s Sources are not Information
History Reliable Source - Elimination of
- Views about False
Timeliness Information
- Other Skills to
NARRATIVES OF
Apply to
PARTICIPANTS ON HOW
Identify False
THEY IDENTIFY FALSE
Information
INFORMATION

Figure 2. The Conceptual Map on the Abilities of SHS


Students to Identify False Information

22
1. The perspective of the SHS students regarding the reliable sources of

information.

RELIABLE SOURCES OF INFORMATION

The first theme to emerge from the participants’ narration is the

students’ standpoint regarding the reliable sources of information. The

following sub-themes support this major theme: Students’ Ways of Identifying

Reliable Sources; The Most Trustworthy Source of Information; and All

Internet Sources are Not Reliable Source.

a. Students’ Ways of Identifying Reliable Sources. The participants

narrated that in order to identify a reliable source, one must do

further evaluation. The narration of Participant 7 supports this, “By

simply acknowledging the author's background and other

personal-related stimuli he may hold.” In addition, Participant 6

also narrated, “If it has been published by a verified or official

source/s.” Moreover, the story of Participant 10 also upholds this

sub-theme, “In order to know if the source is reliable, you must

see to it that it contains an unbiased analysis and that the author is

well-respected. Also, there should be citations provided.”

The students are educated enough to evaluate the source of

information. This study backs up Buttram, et al., (2012) statements that it is

important to identify which sources are credible. This ability requires an

understanding of depth, objectivity, currency, authority, and purpose.

23
The Most Trustworthy Source of Information. The participants believed

that the most trustworthy source is the primary source.

b. Participant 1 said, “Kasi nga primary source provides you first-

hand information, direkta mo nakukuha ang mga information so

alam mo talaga na may katotohanan and credible yung mga

iyon” (It is because primary source provides you first-hand

information. You are gathering information directly, so you

already know that the information is true and credible). Likewise,

Participant 5 said, “Primary sources give us direct evidence.”

Furthermore, Participant 6 stated, “Simply because it is a direct

interaction and you can easily tell if they are telling the truth or

not. Another reason is that you can immediately do follow-up

questions to further verify certain issues or topics that you may not

clearly understand.”

This study is supported by Streefkerk (2022) finding, that is primary

sources provide raw information and first-hand evidence. Primary sources are

more credible as evidence.

c. All Internet Sources are Not Reliable Source. The participants

narrated that all internet sources are not credible and trustworthy.

This is supported by the narration of Participant 7, “No, because

some are manipulated by unknown and biased stigmas and aren't

accuracy-free”. In addition, Participant 5 said, “No, because

anyone can post anything, not equal information. Some are biased,

some are for entertainment rather than information, and some are

looking for attention rather than reliable information.” Likewise,

24
the narration of Participant 6 also reinforced this sub-theme, “I

firmly do not believe that all internet sources are reliable because

people nowadays can easily manipulate and mislead citizens. In

fact, it seems like fake news can spread faster than accurate ones.”

This study supports the statements from John Jay College of Criminal

Justice (website) which are: There is no quality assurance when it comes to

information found on the internet, anyone can post anything; In most cases,

information found on the web has not been checked for accuracy; and not all

web sites are created equal. They differ in quality, purpose, and bias.

2. The stance of the SHS students concerning the credibility of information.

CREDIBILITY OF INFORMATION

Due to the spread of fake information, knowing the credibility of

information is one of the major steps in identifying information. People can

easily identify the credibility of the information using their critical thinking,

by checking out the evidence and considering the background of the author.

Develop a critical mentality, check the source, and study the evidence to spot

false information. A credible news report will feature numerous facts, such as

expert quotes, survey data, and government statistics. Or witness descriptions

from the scene that are precise, consistent, and confirmed. This major theme is

being supported by the following sub-themes: Spotting False Information;

Wikipedia is not Credible; Opinion about the Author’s History; and Views

about Timeliness.

a. Spotting False information. Spotting false information is important

to be fully aware that the information shared and received is reliable.

25
The participants narrated how they spot false information. For

example, the narration of Participant 1 supports this, “Kung wala

siyang supporting evidences, may pagka-bias and hindi siya timely.

I also consider yung background ng author” (If the information

lacks supporting evidence, contains biased information, and is out of

date. I also considered the background of the author.) In addition,

the sub-themes also reinforced by the narration of Participant 7,

“By simply reviewing the context of the given information.”

Likewise, Participant 9 said, “Develop a critical thinking attitude,

look into the source, check out who else is covering the story,

examine the proof and don't believe everything you see.”

In spotting false information, students come up with different ways to

spot it, as cited in https://guides.lib.byu.edu/c.php?g=216340&p=1428399

(BYU Library), in your search for information, you eventually face the

challenge of evaluating the resources you have located and selecting those you

judge to be most appropriate for your needs. Examine each information source

you locate and assess sources using the following criteria: Timeliness,

Authority, Audience, Relevance and Perspective.

b. Wikipedia is not Credible. The participants narrated their views

regarding Wikipedia. As we all know, Wikipedia is editable by

anyone. This leads to doubts about the information contained.

Participant 2 stated that, “Wikipedia is not a reliable source of

information since some of the information is not compiled and the fact

that all of us have access to this website means that we can be able to

revise or misinform the audiences.” Furthermore, Participant 4

26
narrated that, “Yes, Wikipedia is a well-known online dictionary that

gives information and you can really say na totoo yung mga nandun

kase if you search on other reliable sites the information written are

the same.” (Yes, Wikipedia is a well-known online dictionary that

gives information, and you can really say that it is true because when

you search on other reliable sites, the information written is the same.)

Furthermore, Participant 7 said, “Wikipedia is far beyond the means

of being considered a 'reliable source' due to the fact that it offers

hazy citations of data.”

Wikipedia does not see itself as a trustworthy source and advises readers

against utilizing it in education and research settings. Research, teachers,

journalists, or government authorities do not regard Wikipedia as a reputable

source. As cited in https://guides.lib.byu.edu/c.php?g=216340&p=1428399 (BYU

Library), websites create an interesting challenge in evaluating credibility and

usefulness because no two websites are created the same way.

c. Opinion about the Authors History. The author’s credibility is

crucial in determining the quality of sources you’ve found and are

considering using for your particular research. The narration of

Participant 2 supports this, “Yes, to know if they are reliable sources

of information and if they really contribute to what is being linked

with them.” Furthermore, Participant 7 stated, “Yes, in order to

assess informational credibility.” Participant 9 also narrated, “Yes,

the author’s trustworthiness is crucial in establishing the quality of

27
sources you’ve found and are considering utilizing for your research

project.”

In opinion about the authors history there are 10 reason to Do an

Author study, as cited in

https://www.readingrockets.org/books/authorstudy/reasons

(readingrockets.org), (1) Help students develop their reading skills, (2) Build

critical thinking skills, (3)Improve writing skills, (4)Forge a deeper attachment

to books, (5) Establish a community of readers, (6) Expose kids to different

types of literary voices and styles, (7)Boost information literacy skills, (8)Plug

in easily to the curriculum, (9)Make connections across the curriculum,

(10)Add fun to the school day.

d. Views about Timelines. The narrative of that event becomes deeper

and clearer when details are exposed and examined in a timely

manner. The narration of Participant 4 backs up this sub-theme,

“Yes, information changes throughout the time basta syempre

pwedeng dagdagan, maraming nababago.” (Yes, information

changes throughout time. As long as there is information that can be

added, a lot will change.) In addition, Participant 9 also supports this,

“As a student, it is vital to assess sources critically since employing

credible and reliable sources makes you a better writer.” Participant

10 also said, “As a student, I’ve encountered a lot of malicious

information on the internet. There is no concrete evidence.

Sometimes, there are also sources where the author is biased or one-

sided.”

28
Unofficial channels or the mass media are typically used to spread

information. As time passes, the event is covered by major media outlets.

Scholarly sources of information may discuss the event months or years later.

In views about timelines, we have Information Timeline Stages, as

cited in

https://libguides.seminolestate.edu/researchfoundations/informationtimeline

(Seminole State College Library). The Information Timeline Stages start when

the event occurs (eyewitness accounts, social media updates), Same Day

(television broadcasts, radio broadcasts, online newspapers, online magazines,

online news sites), Weeks After (print magazines, print newspapers), Months

After (Academic journals, Trade publications), One Year After (books,

government reports, academic journals), Multiple Years After (specialized

books, encyclopedias).

3. The various skills of SHS students to evaluate false information.

SKILLS NEEDED TO EVALUATE FALSE INFORMATION

Evaluating information would be a lot easier if they had the

skills to determine the validity of the information. The third topic that

arose from the participants’ narration was the importance of skills

needed to fact-check false information. The following sub-themes are

used to support this main theme: Students' Ways to Fact-check False

Information; the Elimination of False Information; and Other Skills to

Apply to Identify False Information.

29
a. Students’ Ways to Fact-check False Information. The best way

to counter fake news is to conduct your own studies. This was

supported by the narration of Participant 1, who said, “Yes,

tinitingnan kong mabuti mga supporting evidences, kinikilala ko

yung author, tinitignan ko rin yung published date, and inaalam ko

yung purpose nito” (Yes, I look closely at the supporting evidence,

I recognize the author, I also look at the published date, and I know

its purpose.) In addition, Participant 9 also narrated, “As a learner,

I double check everything. I am confident that I am obtaining

accurate information. I’m thinking of double-checking facts with

additional sources.” On the other hand, the same sub-theme was

reinforced by the narration of participant 10 “I do fact-check

sometimes. I start by knowing the author, and as I read the

information, I am internalizing if he/she included both sides of the

topic.”

According to Dias, N. and Sippitt,A (2020), the fact-checking field has

grown tremendously in the past decade, as has academic interest in the

practice, with dozens of studies testing the effectiveness of corrections.

However, research on fact-checking is not yet optimize to help fact checkers

address the global challenges of mis- and disinformation. The limited diversity

and external validity of existing studies, which have overwhelmingly been

conducted in Western countries and under artificial, experimental conditions.

Research has narrowly focused on the short-term, corrective effects of

individual fact checks, largely ignoring the multiple ways fact checkers

conceive of their impact. Research has overlooked the cultural and systemic

30
changes that fact checkers pursue. We conclude by highlighting opportunities

for further research and for improving communication between academics and

fact checkers.

b. Elimination of False Information. Everyone should try to avoid

spreading false information. This was sustained by the narration of

the Participant 2, who said “By simply reading articles very well

and researching further more about that news and not believing

what I’ve read on just one site.” Furthermore, Participant 6

narrated, “By not believing in it. by not sharing it with others. and

by correcting people who think that the information they are trying

to believe is right.” On the other hand, the same sub-theme was

reinforced by the narration of participant 8, who stated, “In order

to counteract the spread of incorrect information, we must trust

and rely on television news only from trustworthy sources such as

radio, television, and newspapers.”

According to Skaržauskienė, A et. al., (2020), the prevalence of so-

called “fake news” is a relatively recent social phenomenon that is linked to

disinformation, misinformation and other forms of networked manipulation

facilitated by the rise of the Internet and online social media. The spread of

misinformation is among the most pressing challenges of our time. Sources

from which disinformation originates are constantly changing and present an

enormous challenge for real-time detection algorithms and more targeted

science-based socio-technical interventions. The primary aim of this paper is

to illuminate the practices and interpretations, focusing on three perspectives:

general attitudes to fake news, perceived interaction with disinformation and

31
opinion on counteraction with respect to fake news. The innovative character

of the research is achieved by the focus on community solutions to combat

disinformation and the collaboration between media users, media

organizations, scientists, communication managers, journalists and other

important actors in the media ecosystem. Based on insights from interviews

with communication field experts, the paper sheds light on the efforts of

Lithuanian society to confront the problem of fake news in digital media

environment. Lithuania is also an interesting case study for fake news due to

its status as a former Soviet state now in the EU. Our research indicates that

not all media users are prepared and/or have the necessary competencies to

combat fake news, so that citizen engagement might actually negatively

influence the quality of the counteraction process. Indeed, proactive citizens’

organizations and NGOs could be an important catalyst fostering collaboration

between stakeholders. The responsibility of governments could be to create

the structures, methodologies and supporting educational activities to involve

the stakeholders in collaborating activities combating disinformation.

c. Other Skills to Apply to Identify False Information. Develop

your critical thinking skills in order to easily identify false

information. This was supported by the narration of the Participant

6, “It is not really a skill, it is a matter of mindset. Kailangan ng

isang tao na magkaroon nang malawak na pag iisip, pag iintindi

and that falls into common sense. Most of the time, false

information is obvious. However, one must learn how to do fact-

checking” (Someone needs to have broad thinking and

understanding, and that falls into common sense. Most of the time,

32
false information is obvious. However, one must learn how to do

fact-checking) In addition, Participant 9 stated, “In my opinion,

they need to be able to tell the difference between fake news and

actual, fact-checked journalism. These pointers will show us how

to spot fake news and ensure that the information we read and

watch is reliable. Students will be able to combat the pervasive

spread of damaging, misleading, and inaccurate information if

they can detect misinformation disguised as credible news .” On the

other hand, the same sub-theme was reinforced by the narration of

Participant 10, who stated, “Being a responsible and wise reader

would do.”

According to Himma-Kadakas, M 2022, it shows how journalists use core

skills and competencies to verify the information and it describes why false

information evades the journalistic filter and gets published. Combined semi-

structured interviews with a think-aloud method in which 20 Estonian

journalists were shown constructed episodes of false information and then

asked to discuss them. Based on the results, we argue that journalists use

traditional fact-checking skills in specific combinations, which is usually

sufficient to validate the information. However, when under time pressure,

journalists tend to trust their professional experience and take the risk of

publishing unchecked information. This risk is even higher when the source

seems to be trustworthy and the information is presented on an official social

media platform or on the journalist’s personal social media page, or if the

journalist lacks more in-depth knowledge about a specific topic. The results of

33
this study are useful for training journalism students and practicing journalists

in how to debunk false information.

CHAPTER IV

SUMMARY, FINDINGS, CONCLUSIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS

This portion presents the summary, findings, conclusions, and

recommendations of the study.

Summary

The study investigated and described senior high school students’

ability in identifying information. The descriptive phenomenology qualitative

research design was used in this study.

The participants were recruited using purposive sampling based on the

following inclusion criteria: (1) senior high school students of Lussoc National

High School, (2) male or female, (3) very much willing to participate as a

respondent of the study.

The researchers used an interview guide using google forms in order to

acquire the necessary information. The interview with the respondents was

34
recorded and it was analyzed and transcribed. Furthermore, the researchers

interpreted the findings of this qualitative research study.

Findings

The following is a summary of the research study's key findings: The

major themes that arose from the research include: (1) reliable sources of

information; (2) credibility of information; and (3) skills needed to evaluate

false information.

The emerging sub-themes of Reliable Sources of Information are

Students’ Ways of Identifying Reliable Sources, The Most Trustworthy

Source of Information, and All Internet Sources are not Reliable Source.

Moreover, the emerging sub-themes of Credibility of Information are Spotting

False Information, Wikipedia is not Credible, Opinion about the Authors

History, and Views about Timeliness. In addition, Skills Needed to Evaluate

False Information is supported by the following sub-themes: Students' Ways

to Fact-check False Information, the Elimination of False Information, and

Other Skills to Apply to Identify False Information.

Based on the narrations of the respondents, the researchers found out

that the Grade 12 students are aware of false information. The participants

have the knowledge to evaluate false information and know how to prevent the

spread of it.

Conclusions

The students must continue to evaluate false information, especially

online. Not only the students, but all of us. The participants shared their

stories, describing their own ways on how they identify reliable sources,

35
opinions regarding the most trustworthy source of information, and views

about internet sources being not reliable source of information. It was

established that the senior high school students know how to spot false

information, opinions about Wikipedia, evaluate the authors’ backgrounds,

and timeliness of information. Furthermore, the participants showed that they

have the skills to fact-check and eliminate false information. Overall, fake

news is extremely unethical, which is why we must stop spreading it. Instead,

we must raise awareness in our community regarding false information, which

leads us towards better and more responsible use of the media and

information.

Recommendations

Based on the conclusions, the following recommendations are offered:

1. Students must disseminate knowledge on how to spot and eliminate

false information to their families and in their respective

communities.

2. The students are encouraged to participate and listen attentively to

their Media and Information Literacy subject teacher so that they

can enhance their knowledge and skills to identify false

information.

3. The school should hold a quarterly program about dissemination on

how to evaluate false information with the help of media and

information experts.

36
4. Since the study has limitations, it requires an in-depth exploration.

More participants shall be considered to gather more in-depth data

involving a wider number of respondents and a larger locality.

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APPENDICES

Appendix A

LETTER OF REQUEST TO SCHOOL PRINCIPAL


Republic of the Philippines
LUSSOC NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL
Lussoc, Sto. Domingo, Ilocos Sur
2729 Ilocos Sur

April 26, 2022

__________________
__________________
__________________

Ma’am:

Greetings of peace and joy!

The undersigned is presently conducting a research entitled: “Think Before You


Click: Students’ Ability to Identify False Information.” In partial fulfillment of the
Inquiries, Investigation, and Immersion requirements at the Lussoc National High
School.

41
In this connection, may we request that the researchers be allowed to conduct and
gather pertinent data for their study in your school in your good office. Rest assured
that all information gathered will be managed with the utmost discretion. The study's
result could open a new dimension in our search for better ways and means to raise
awareness regarding the spread of disinformation.

The researchers are looking forward with gratitude to your affirmative action as
regards this request. Thank you so much for your kindness, and may God continue to
bless you.

Sincerely yours,

GERRINE ANGEL PARADO


JUREN TABUNO
BRYAN TABUNO
CRIZTAL JOY LAZARO
CRISTINA MAE TABANGIN
Researchers

Noted:

(Sgd) SHERWIN ASHLEI TINAZA


Research Adviser
Appendix B

INTERVIEW GUIDE

I. Sources of Information

1. How can you know if the source of the data you've acquired is

reliable?

2. Which do you think is the most trustworthy source?

a) Primary Source

b) Secondary Source; and

c) Tertiary Source

Why?

3. Do you believe that all internet sources are reliable? Explain.

II. Credibility of Information

42
1. How can you spot false information?

2. Do you think Wikipedia is reliable or trustworthy? Why or why

not?

3. Is it necessary to know the author's history/background in order to

say that the information is reliable? Why do you think that is?

4. Is timeliness vital to the legitimacy of information in your opinion

as a student? Explain.

III. Skills

1. Do you fact-check false information? In what ways?

2. How do you eliminate fake news before it spreads?

3. In your opinion, what other skills can you apply on identifying

information?

Table 1

Excerpts from the Emergence of the Theme Reliable Sources of Information

Sub-Themes Sample Narrations

In my own perspective, first to know is the information’s


accuracy. This is the reliability of the source in relation to the
data supplied. The second part of a source’s analysis is to assess
the source’s credibility.

In order to know if the source is reliable, you must see to it that


Students Ways of it contains an unbiased analysis and the author are well-
Identifying Reliable respected. Also, there should be citations provided.
Sources
The data acquired is reliable when the information comes from
a reliable source or great authors, having accurate statements
and information is up-to-date or supported by the term
timeliness.
Primary Source. Kasi nga primary source provides you first-
hand information, direkta mo nakukuha ang mga information so
alam mo talaga na may katotohanan and credible yung mga

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iyon.

Primary sources give us direct evidence.


Primary Sources. Original sources are historical documents that
The Most Trustworthy
aid researchers and scholars in identifying patterns that would
Source
otherwise be impossible to discover based just on current
events. It’s true that history tends to repeat itself, and primary
sources offer a unique perspective that can help students
understand how past events have shaped our current reality.

No, some are stated wrongly and in accurate and some are just
opinion of an author that is not reliable.

No, especially the following, misinformation, mal-information,


All Internet Sources are disinformation ay uso ngayon. People can easily manipulate the
not Reliable Sources media, they can change the truth into lies, otherwise.

I firmly do not believe that all internet sources are reliable


because people nowadays can easily manipulate and mislead
citizens. In fact, it seems like fake news can spread faster than
the accurate ones

Table 2

Excerpts from the Credibility of Information

Sub-Themes Sample Narration

Kung wala siyang supporting evidences, may pagka-bias and


hindi siya timely. I also considered yung background ng study.
Spotting false By simply reviewing the context of the information.
Information
Develop a critical thinking attitude, look into the source,check out
who else is covering the story, examine the proof and don’t
believe everything you see.
No, there was a time na nagsearch ako and then may nabasa ako
sa Wikipedia but I wasn’t really sure kung totoo yung nabasa ko
so nagbasa ako sa other sources and the I compared them, and
lumabas na yung Wikipedia is hindi totoo, like its issing out other
Wikipedia is not information and minsan outdated din mga informations doon.
Credible Wikipedia is not a reliable source of information since some of
the information’s are not compiled and by the fact that all of us
have access on this website that we can be able to revised or
misinform the audiences.
No, because, despite being one of the most popular reference sites
on the internet, because anyone can contribute to the website, it

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isn’t a trustworthy source.
Yes, to know if they are reliable sources of information and if
they really contribute on what is being linked with them.
Opinion about the Yes, the authors trustworthiness is crucial in establishing the
Author’s History quality of sources you’ve found and are considering utilizing for
your research project.
Yes, because the authors credibility will help you support any of
your argument.
Timeliness is important for evidence-based policy making.

Views About
As a student, it is vital to assess sources critically since employing
Timeliness
credible/reliable sources makes you better writer.
Yes, kailangan timely yung information kasi kapag out of date n,
pwedeng makagawa ng maling desisyon ang makakabasa nito.

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Table 3

Excerpts from the Theme Skills Needed to Evaluate Information

46
Sub-themes Sample Narrations

Yes, tinitingnan kong mabuti mga supporting evidences,


kinikilala ko yung author, tinitingnan ko rin yung published
date, and inaalam ko yung purpose nito.
Students’ Ways to Fact-
Check False Information Yes, by checking the author's specialized field and
considering the data's accuracy.
As a learner, I double-check everything. I am confident that I
am obtaining accurate information. I'm thinking of double-
checking facts with additional sources.

By simply reading on articles very well and researching


further more about that news and not believing easily on
what I've read in just one site.
Elimination of False In order to counteract the spread of incorrect information, we
Information must trust and rely on television news, only from trustworthy
sources such as radio, television, and newspapers.
People are uncontrollable. There are times where they find
information funny while on the other side, some people take
it seriously. In order to eliminate fake news, we must conduct
awareness on how spot fake news and how to be a
responsible source of data or information.
They need to be able to tell the difference between fake news
and actual, fact-checked journalism, in my opinion. These
pointers will show us how to spot fake news and ensure that
the information we read and watch is reliable. Students will be
able to combat the pervasive spreading of damaging,
misleading, and inaccurate information if they can detect
Other Skills to Apply to
misinformation disguised as credible news.
Identify False Information
Being aware of fact and false information. By not trusting
easily to the information

It is not really a skill, but it is a matter of mindset. Kailangan


ng isang tao na magkaroon nang malawak na pag iisip, pag
iintindi and that falls into common sense. Most of the time,
false information is obvious. However, one must learn how to
do fact checking.

CURRICULUM VITAE

47
PERSONAL INFORMATION

Name : GERRINE ANGEL R. PARADO

Age : 18

Date of Birth : 12/16/2003

Home Address : LUSSOC, STO. DOMINGO, ILOCOS SUR

Father : RICHARD J. PARADO

Mother : MERCEDITA R. PARADO

Siblings : GOLDIE ANNE P. YADAO

GENERIE PRINCESS P. BRILLO

GERIC R. PARADO

EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND

Elementary

Grade 1-3 : PARAS-PARADA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Grade 4-6 : LUSSOC COMMUNITY SCHOOL

Secondary : LUSSOC NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL

PERSONAL INFORMATION

48
Name : BRYAN TABUNO

Age : 18

Date of Birth : 11/11/2003

Home Address : BINONGAN, STO. DOMINGO, ILOCOS SUR

Father : ROMEL TABUNO

Mother : EMELYN TABUNO

Siblings : ALYSSA NICOLE TABUNO

REDENTOR TABUNO

ELOISA JANE TABUNO

EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND

Elementary : LAGATIT ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Secondary : LUSSOC NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL

PERSONAL INFORMATION

49
Name : RALPH JUREN TABUNO

Age : 17

Date of Birth : 09/16/2004

Home Address : LAGATIT, STO. DOMINGO, ILOCOS SUR

Father : RENATO TABUNO

Mother : JULIET TABUNO

Siblings : N/A

EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND

Elementary : LAGATIT ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Secondary : LUSSOC NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL

PERSONAL INFORMATION

50
Name : CRIZTAL JOY T. LAZARO

Age : 17

Date of Birth : 09/09/2004

Home Address : LAO-INGEN, STO. DOMINGO, ILOCOS SUR

Father : JOAN ANTHONY LAZARO

Mother : EVELYN TIRI

Siblings : ALEXANDER UNARCE

EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND

Elementary : WAWANG ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Secondary : LUSSOC NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL

PERSONAL INFORMATION

51
Name : CRISTINA MAE M. TABANGIN

Age : 18

Date of Birth : 12/15/2003

Home Address : LAGATIT, STO. DOMINGO, ILOCOS SUR

Father : SANNY TABANGIN SR.

Mother : CRISTY TABANGIN

Siblings : JERMY TABANGIN

SANNY TABANGIN JR.

EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND

Elementary : LAGATIT ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Secondary : LUSSOC NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL

52

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