Award Date

1-1-2006

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Educational Psychology

First Committee Member

Kendall Hartley

Number of Pages

108

Abstract

Online discussions can lead to an enriched understanding of course content. This study explored the influence of a discussion leader procedure with specific instructions on the quality of online argumentation and interactivity. Sound analysis of both sides of an issue and movement towards a final resolution has not been evaluated within online discussions current research. Subjects were 44 undergraduate students who participated in online discussions on a technology issue over two weeks. Participants also completed a need for cognition scale developed by Cacioppo, Petty, and Kao (1984). Results indicated that students participating in groups receiving specific argumentation instructions from the leader produced better online argumentation for the second week and exhibited increased interactivity patterns for both weeks.

Keywords

Argument; Arguments; Discussion; Discussion Leader; Discussions; Influence; Leader; Online; Online Discussions; Procedure; Quality

Controlled Subject

Educational psychology; Curriculum planning; Educational technology

File Format

pdf

File Size

4485.12 KB

Degree Grantor

University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Language

English

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Rights

IN COPYRIGHT. For more information about this rights statement, please visit http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

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