ERIC Number: EJ772319
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2007
Pages: 38
Abstractor: Author
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1050-8406
EISSN: N/A
Discourse Patterns during Children's Collaborative Online Discussions
Kim, Il-Hee; Anderson, Richard C.; Nguyen-Jahiel, Kim; Archodidou, Anthi
Journal of the Learning Sciences, v16 n3 p333-370 2007
This article examines the discourse of 10 groups of children during text-based online discussions. Analysis of the discourse in the discussions showed that 8 different rhetorical moves, or argument stratagems, were used by most groups of children, whereas 3 other stratagems were used by 1 group. The use of argument stratagems snowballed; that is, once an argument stratagem emerged in a discussion, it tended to spread to other children in the Web group, and the likelihood that it would occur again remained high over the course of the discussion. Most stratagems began to spread when initiated by other children but not when introduced by the adult moderator. Children were eager to participate and displayed a high rate of participation in discussions with Webmates from distant classrooms. These findings suggest that collaborative online discussions may provide an effective instructional medium for promoting children's learning of reasoning strategies and thinking skills.
Descriptors: Internet, Thinking Skills, Discourse Analysis, Children, Computer Mediated Communication, Group Discussion, Persuasive Discourse, Teaching Methods
Lawrence Erlbaum. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 325 Chestnut Street Suite 800, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Fax: 215-625-2940; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals/default.html
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A