Poster #13 - Developing Elementary Students' Motivation for Online Discussions and Argument-Counterargument Integration: An Intervention Study

• In Event: 15.062 - MTCC Poster Session One
  In Poster Session: 15.062-2 - Contemporary Issues in Motivation Research Models of Motivation: Theoretical and Applied Advances

Abstract

This study examined the impact of instructional support of fourth-grade students’ psychological needs on their motivation for participating in online discussions and the ability to integrate arguments and counterarguments in argumentative writing. An eight-week instructional intervention called Need Supportive Blended Learning (NSBL) was developed and tested in the context of a blended social studies curriculum using a quasi-experimental design. Participants were ninety-five fourth-grade students and four teachers. Students in the NSBL condition were significantly higher on need satisfaction, motivation for online discussions, and quality of argument-counterargument integration, compared with students in an active-control condition that focused on argumentation without the instructional support of psychological needs. Results imply that motivational factors are critical antecedents for the development of argumentation competence.

Authors

• Narmada Paul, University of Kentucky

• Tzu-Jung Lin, The Ohio State University

• Michael Glassman, The Ohio State University - Columbus