Award Date

1-1-2005

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Educational Psychology

First Committee Member

E. Michael Nussbaum

Number of Pages

94

Abstract

Studies indicate that collaborative argumentation can aid students' understanding and improve their problem-solving skills. This study used the online environment WebCT to explore the improvement of argumentation through goal instruction. In previous studies of collaborative argumentation using WebCT, small groups of students discussed controversial questions. Some groups were given a general goal to persuade, but others were given an elaborated goal to generate reasons and evidence. The effect that the elaborated goal had compared to the general goal was analyzed. This study replicated those previous studies, with some alterations. The goal was to evaluate two interventions designed to increase argument balance and development; Elaborating the question did enhance balance and argument development, especially for low-knowledge students. The reason condition had some effectiveness with some knowledge interactions. Also, asking students to complete a survey and declare their position before engaging in discussion tended to reduce balance.

Keywords

Argumentation; Collaborative; Enhancing; Environment; Online

Controlled Subject

Educational psychology; Educational technology

File Format

pdf

File Size

2088.96 KB

Degree Grantor

University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Language

English

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