Transforming Confirmation Bias to Generate Critical Consciousness in News/Information Literacy and Social Science Courses - Article 13

Oct 15, 2026

This paper synthesizes theory and research on confirmation bias (CB), curiosity, and news/information literacy education to explain how helping students critique their CB tendencies can build curiosity and critical consciousness about learning. Curiosity about the self grows when students recognize their CB patterns, while curiosity about the social world grows when they see how CB shapes how they interpret information. A flipped classroom model aligns with Paulo Freire’s emphasis on experiential critical education.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages14

Reading Time35 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Confirmation bias as an inhibitor of learning and curiosity

Curiosity and critical consciousness through literacy education

Flipped classroom and Paulo Freire’s experiential critical education

Application of the out-of-classroom assignment

The Canadian Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning | Volume 11 | Issue 2 | Article 13 | | --- | --- | Fall 09-30-2020 Transforming Confirmation Bias to Generate Critical Consciousness in News/Information Literacy and Social Science Courses James H. Wittebols University of Windsor, [jhw@uwindsor.ca](jhw@uwindsor.ca) Follow this and additional works at: [https://www.cjsotl-rcacea.ca](https://www.cjsotl-rcacea.ca) [https://doi.org/10.5206/cjsotl-rcacea.2020.2.9472](https://doi.org/10.5206/cjsotl-rcacea.2020.2.9472) Recommended Citation Wittebols, J. H. (2020) . Transforming confirmation bias to generate critical consciousness in news/information literacy and social science courses. The Canadian Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 11(2). [https://doi.org/10.5206/cjsotl-rcacea.2020.2.9472](https://doi.org/10.5206/cjsotl-rcacea.2020.2.9472) Transforming Confirmation Bias to Generate Critical Consciousness in News/Information Literacy and Social Science Courses Abstract This paper synthesizes theory and research on confirmation bias (CB), curiosity, and news/information literacy education with the goal of understanding how helping students critique their tendency to engage in CB spurs curiosity and critical consciousness about learning. Curiosity about the self is spurred when people realize their CB tendencies. Curiosity about the larger social world is spurred when students learn how CB affects the way they look at the world. A flipped classroom approach reflects the work of Paulo Freire, who argued critical education should be experiential with faculty playing a facilitating, rather than an “expert” role. Cet article présente une synthèse de la théorie et de la recherche sur les préjugés de confirmation, la curiosité et la littératie des nouvelles/des informations avec pour objectif la compréhension de lamanière dont on peut aider les étudiants à critiquer leurs tendances à participer pour stimuler la curiosité concernant les préjugés de confirmation et la conscience critique relativement à l’apprentissage. La curiosité à propos de soi est stimulée quand les gens se rendent compte de leurstendances à avoir des préjugés de confirmation. La curiosité à propos du monde social plus vaste est stimulée lorsque les étudiants apprennent comment les effets des préjugés de confirmation affectent la manière dont ils voient le monde. Une approche basée sur la salle de classe interactive reflète le travail de Paulo Freire, qui estime que l’éducation critique devrait être basée sur une expérience et où les professeurs tiennent un rôle d’animateurs et non pas d’«experts » . Keywords confirmation bias, curiosity, critical information literacy, social science courses, higher education; préjugés de confirmation, curiosité, littératie critique des nouvelles, cours de sciences sociales, enseignement supérieur This research paper/Rapport de recherche is available in The Canadian Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning: [https://doi.org/10.5206/cjsotl-rcacea.2020.2.9472](https://doi.org/10.5206/cjsotl-rcacea.2020.2.9472) In many ways, education can be viewed as a change process. The knowledge gained in an educational setting can prompt someone with new information to think or behave differently than they would have absent an educational experience or intervention. But sometimes, an educational experience does not produce change because an individual blocks or ignores a new fact because she/he is heavily invested in what they think they know based on previous experiences. Selfconfidence in what they know causes them to dismiss the new knowledge in favor of what they already believe. The psychological concept of confirmation bias (CB) (Nickerson, 1998) is the label assigned to such behavior as those confronted with an opportunity to extend their knowledge dismiss it because “I already know what I need to know” or because they find the new information in conflict with thei

FAQs

How does the paper connect confirmation bias to students’ curiosity?

The paper argues that curiosity about the self increases when students realize their confirmation bias tendencies. It also links curiosity about the social world to learning how confirmation bias affects their view of information.

What educational approach does the paper recommend to foster critical consciousness?

It promotes an approach using a flipped classroom structure that reflects Paulo Freire’s view of critical education as experiential, with faculty acting as facilitators rather than traditional experts.

Why is confirmation bias presented as an obstacle to learning and knowledge growth?

The paper explains that people may dismiss new information that conflicts with what they already believe. This makes confirmation bias an inhibitor to gaining new knowledge and expanding one’s knowledge base.

Oct 15, 2026

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