How do students assess and decide to use videos?

Although an increasing attention has been raised regarding the need for teenagers to be critical toward online media, little is known concerning how they evaluate videos. This study focuses on understanding how students evaluate informational videos. Students (N = 380) watched videos in which two interviewees (researcher vs. layperson) show different positions (pro vs. con) on the topic of reducing meat consumption to promote organic farming. Students first indicated their own prior attitude related to the topic at hand and then assessed sources and information, and decided whether to use or not the videos for academic work and were asked to explain the reasons. Results showed that students considered both source expertise and congruence of videos’ position with their prior attitude when assessing videos, In contrast, the effect of congruence was not observed when deciding to use or not the video, while participants relied mainly on agreement with their own viewpoint as a criterion to explain their decision. The implications of these findings are discussed.