Dialectic and design for online peer discussion: an educational design for supporting and structuring interaction to facilitate improved educational argumentation

McAlister, Simon Robert (2004). Dialectic and design for online peer discussion: an educational design for supporting and structuring interaction to facilitate improved educational argumentation. PhD thesis The Open University.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.21954/ou.ro.0000f9e3

Abstract

Sociocultural theory and previous CSCL research supports the idea that educational argumentation, through peer discussion, can develop higher-order mental processes, such as reasoning and critical thinking. This thesis argues that improved educational argumentation can be facilitated by structuring students' interactions and by providing supporting activities – so this research has developed an educational design for this purpose. The design is applied to online peer discussion between ODL university students, using a CMC tool and an activity model supporting argumentation.

The designed tool, called AcademicTalk, is used for synchronous discussion and employs a set of dialogue moves, adapted from a dialogue game approach to argumentation, which aims to scaffold student responses towards a deeper dialectic and a more academic style of dialogue. The results show that students using the structured interface immediately engaged in deeper and more extended argument with their peers, compared with students who used an unstructured interface. The research concludes that provision of appropriate structuring of student interactions does facilitate improved educational argumentation within peer discussion.