Frameworks for argumentative knowledge construction process in social collaborative learning environment towards students’ higher order thinking skills

Abstract

Preparing learners towards higher order thinking skills for 21st century education are absolutely essential. Currently, the discussion in social collaborative problem-solving activities as student-centered pedagogical practices seems like to enhance students’ learning performance. Naturally, discussion involves the processes of evidence and argumentation with convincing indication, extensive and comprehensive understanding of numerous aspects of an issue. Besides, knowledge is constructed, socially shared among peers and benefiting individual. However, previous studies found that learners still dearth of higher order thinking skills and rarely formulate knowledgeable arguments or benefit individually from participating in the discussions. Thus, the challenge is how to ensure that argumentative knowledge construction process in social collaborative learning environment can improves students’ thinking skills towards the highest degree. In this study, Edmodo LMS is used as an educational tool and appropriately designed for three collaborative problem-solving tasks. Samples were undergraduate students from the Computer Science program (n=21) and mixed method research concerning the pre-experimental research design is applied. Data from students’ performance test and discussion were collected and analyzed using content analysis method to obtain the argumentative knowledge construction process and students’ thinking skills performance. To further understand the process, instrument such as interview were used. Findings of the Wilcoxon signed rank test shows that there was a statistically significant difference in the level of students’ thinking skills (mean= 11.57; Z= -3.42, p= .001<.05). Based on overall findings, a framework of argumentative knowledge construction process through social collaborative learning environment is formulated as a guidance to cultivate students’ higher order thinking skills and argumentative knowledge construction process development.