Abstract
This study aimed to investigate the effects of on-line argumentation on 37 university students' informal reasoning regarding a socio-scientific. In addition, such effects on students with different reasoning abilities were also explored. The students were asked to discuss the issue, xenotransplantation, anonymously in the on-line discussion forum in groups for a week (7 days). This study revealed significant effects of on-line discussion task on improving the students' informal reasoning quality. More importantly, it was found that both the students achieving a higher reasoning level and those achieving a lower reasoning level benefited from the anonymous on-line discussion, but in different ways. Both the students in the two groups proposed significantly more arguments after on-line discussion task; but only the students achieving a lower reasoning level performed significantly better in their rebuttal construction and usage of different reasoning modes after the on-line discussion task.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Perspectives on Scientific Argumentation |
| Subtitle of host publication | Theory, Practice and Research |
| Publisher | Springer Netherlands |
| Pages | 221-234 |
| Number of pages | 14 |
| Volume | 9789400724709 |
| ISBN (Electronic) | 9789400724709 |
| ISBN (Print) | 9400724691, 9789400724693 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - 1 Jan 2012 |
Keywords
- Informal reasoning
- Internet-based learning
- On-line discussion
- Socio-scientific argumentation
- Socio-scientific issues
- University students