The Effects of Intellectual Openness and Gender on Critical Thinking

Processes in ComputerSupported Collaborative Argumentation

Allan C.Jeong

(Instructional Systems Program, Florida State University,USA)

Abstract:this study examined how intellectual openness and gender affected the extent to which students engaged in the dialectic critical discourse in computersupported collaborative argumentation (CSCA). This study found: a) indications of differences in the number of personal rebuttals posted in reply to direct challenges between more versus less open students (ES=+0.33); b) significant differences in the number of rebuttals posted between males and females (ES=+0.66 ); c) significant differences in number of personal rebuttals posted between the less versus more open students among the males (ES=+1.32), but not among the females (ES =0.19); and d) no difference in the types of responses posted in reply to challenges between more versus less open students. These findings illustrate how the effects of intellectual openness can be mediated by gender, or vice versa, how openness can potentially affect student performance in CSCA, and how processoriented strategies can be used to analyze and structure discussions to promote critical discourse.

Key words: computermediated- communication, computer-supported collaborative argumentation, group interaction, personality traits, CMC

【CLC nurnbers】G434

【Document code】A

【Article ID】1007-2179(2007)03-0076-08

计算机辅助合作讨论中开放和性别对批判性

思维培养的影响

阿伦·C·杰翁

（佛罗里达州立大学，美国）

【摘要】这项研究考察了学生在参与计算机辅助合作讨论中，思想开放和性别对批判性教学的影响。研究发现：1）思想开放的学生在讨论问题时在提出的反驳次数上会有明显差异；2）性别不同的学生在提出反驳的次数上有显著差异；3）思想开放程度不同的男生之间，提出反驳的次数有显著差异；而在女生中则没有这种差异。4）思想开放程度不同的学生在面对挑战时作出的反应是一样的。这些发现表明了思想开放程度与性别之间是如何相互作用的、计算机辅助合作讨论中开放是如何影响学生的表现的，以及应对策略如何能用来分析和建构批判思维讨论的。

【关键词】计算机交互；计算机辅助合作讨论；小组