The relation between critical online reasoning skills of first-semester university students and their epistemological beliefs

Abstract The ability to competently research and critically evaluate online information is essential for students, yet many struggle to identify reliable sources. Prior research has identified links between students’ Epistemological Beliefs (EBs) and their engagement with critical thinking, as well as their ability to evaluate arguments and information. This study examines the relation of EBs, students’ self-reported critical online reasoning (COR) skills, and domain-specific Internet-specific EBs during online search. We conducted an online survey of first-year students ( N = 1939) of economics, medicine, sociology, and physics at eight German universities at the beginning of the winter term 2023/2024. Our multi-group regression analysis revealed that EBs predict COR skills and Internet-specific EBs across all the domains analyzed. Further analysis identified domain-specific differences in the interplay between the EBs and COR skills, which have far-reaching implications for further research and practice.