The Effects of Linguistic Qualifiers and Intensifiers on Group Interaction and Performance in Computer-Supported Collaborative Argumentation

Authors

  • Allan C. Jeong Florida State University, USA

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.19173/irrodl.v6i3.258

Abstract

This study tested the effects of linguistic qualifiers and intensifiers on the number and types of replies elicited per argument and per challenge posted in online debates. To facilitate collaborative argumentation, thirty-two students (22 females, 10 males) enrolled in a graduate-level online course classified and labeled their messages as arguments, challenges, supporting evidence, or explanations prior to posting each message. The findings showed that qualified arguments elicited 41 percent fewer replies (effect size = -.64), and the reduction in replies was greatest when qualified arguments were presented by females than males. Challenges without qualifiers, however, did not elicit more replies than challenges with qualifiers. These findings suggest that qualifiers were used to hedge arguments, and such behaviors should be discouraged during initial stages of identifying arguments (more so in all-female than in all-male groups) in order to elicit more diverse and more opposing viewpoints needed to thoroughly and critically analyze arguments.

Keywords: Computer-mediated communication, CMC, communication style, group interaction patterns, interaction analysis, computer-supported collaborative learning, CSCL, collaborative argumentation.

Author Biography

Allan C. Jeong, Florida State University, USA

Allan Jeong is an Assistant Professor in Instructional Systems at Florida State University. He teaches courses on instructional design and distance education, and his research focuses on methods and tools for mapping and analyzing procedural tasks and discourse processes, measuring interaction patterns, and modeling group processes and performance in online environments. Dr. Jeong's email address is: jeong@coe.fsu.edu

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Published

2006-02-22

How to Cite

Jeong, A. C. (2006). The Effects of Linguistic Qualifiers and Intensifiers on Group Interaction and Performance in Computer-Supported Collaborative Argumentation. The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 6(3). https://doi.org/10.19173/irrodl.v6i3.258

Issue

Section

Research Articles