The Structure of Discourse in Collaborative Learning

The authors examined the types of discourse structures that emerge during peer learning and the ways in which those structures are related to learning. One hundred and five 5th graders learned about writing conclusions that summarized the results of experiments they had conducted with electrical cir...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Journal of experimental education 2000-01, Vol.69 (1), p.77-97
Main Authors: Chinn, Clark A., O'donnell, Angela M., Jinks, Theresa S.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Argumentation
Classroom Communication
Cognition & reasoning
Collaboration
Collaborative learning
Cooperative Learning
Discourse analysis
Discourse Organization
Discourse structure
Educational Facilities Improvement
Electrical circuits
Elementary School Students
Empirical evidence
Experiments
Grade 5
Intermediate Grades
Lamps
Learning
peer collaboration
Peer Relationship
Quality
Rebuttal testimony
Researchers
Resistors
Students
Transfer students
Writing Instruction
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Summary:The authors examined the types of discourse structures that emerge during peer learning and the ways in which those structures are related to learning. One hundred and five 5th graders learned about writing conclusions that summarized the results of experiments they had conducted with electrical circuits. In groups of 4, they discussed the quality of 3 conclusions. The discourse structure of the discussions could be readily characterized as a network of arguments and counterarguments. The quantitative measures of the quality of those argument structures were positively related to improvement in the students' ability to write their own conclusions. In addition, the students who simply discussed whether the 3 conclusions were OK or not OK generated less complex argument structures than the students who discussed which of the 3 conclusions was best and which was worst. The results demonstrate the importance of considering the structure of peer discourse as a mediator of what students learn from peer interactions.
ISSN:0022-0973
1940-0683
DOI:10.1080/00220970009600650