Online Reading Dispositions

A survey instrument developed during Ian O'Byrne's doctoral research at UConn to measure student dispositions — attitudes, habits of mind, and behavioral tendencies — when reading online. Developed 2009–2012; preliminary validation published with J. Gregory McVerry (2009).

Published as: OByrne2009 - Measuring dispositions online

Why Dispositions?

Skills and strategies for online reading (finding, evaluating, synthesizing information) are only part of the picture. Students also need dispositions — the willingness to persist, the habit of skepticism, the comfort with collaboration — to be effective online readers. The DORC was designed to measure these affective and behavioral tendencies, which were otherwise invisible in quantitative reading assessments.

Factor Structure

Factor 1: Critical Thinking (CT1–CT14)

Persistence, metacognition, goal-directed reading, strategic flexibility.

When one strategy doesn't work to find information online, I pick another and keep trying. (CT1)
I am always learning new things when using the Internet. (CT2)
When I get stuck looking for something online, I am willing to try new things. (CT3)
I try hard when using the Internet to learn new things. (CT4)
I am ready to learn new things on the Internet even when they are hard. (CT5)
When searching online gets tough, I am willing to spend extra time. (CT6)
I think about the words I choose when I write an email or comment. (CT7)
It is important to keep your goal in mind when reading online. (CT8)
I think about how I am reading when I visit websites. (CT9)
I think about my opinion of a subject when reading websites. (CT10)
When I choose a website to read, I think back to what I already know. (CT11)
I think about what I am doing as I use the Internet. (CT12)
I make a plan before I use the Internet for homework. (CT13)
I ask myself if I am finding what I am looking for on the Internet. (CT14)

Factor 2: Critical Stance (CS1–CS4)

Healthy skepticism toward online sources — reverse-scored; lower trust = better critical stance.

I trust what I read on the Internet. (CS1) [reverse]
Authors tell the truth when writing on the Internet. (CS2) [reverse]
I trust the opinions I read on websites. (CS3) [reverse]
You can trust the pictures on websites. (CS4) [reverse]

Factor 3: Collaboration (CO1–CO3)

Comfort and preference for collaborative online work.

I like doing projects with other people when using the Internet. (CO1)
I enjoy working with classmates when using the Internet. (CO2)
I can work with a partner to solve problems online. (CO3)

Factor 4: Flexibility (FL1–FL4)

Adaptability of strategies and thinking when navigating online environments.

Solving problems using the Internet often takes strategies I learned somewhere else. (FL1)
Using the Internet requires me to make quick changes in how I read. (FL2)
When searching online, I often have to change the strategies I have used in the past. (FL3)
When reading the Internet you have to look at information by moving between different viewpoints. (FL4)

Factor 5: Persistence (PE1–PE2)

Willingness to keep trying when online tasks become difficult.

I keep trying when I cannot find what I am looking for on the Internet. (PE1)
When I make a mistake when using the Internet, I keep trying until I get it right. (PE2)

Relationship to Dissertation

The DORC measured student dispositions before and after the three-phase instructional intervention in the main dissertation study. Quantitative findings showed that Critical Stance and healthy skepticism could be enhanced through the content creation pedagogy — students who built fake/hoax websites became more skeptical readers of other websites.