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Examining Students¡¯ Creative and Critical Thinking and Student to Student Interactions in An Asynchronous Online Discussion Environment: A Singapore Case Study
Wing Sum Cheung and Khe Foon Hew
Abstract
In the last few years there has been a proliferation of asynchronous online discussion forums which have opened up the possibilities for people to exchange ideas at any place and at any time. The literature has documented that asynchronous online discussion has the following desirable characteristics: 1) it may help enhance the participation of students who might be less willing to participate in traditional face-to-face classroom settings due to shyness; and 2) it has the potential to encourage more thoughtful responses since participants can take their own time in composing their thoughts. Nonetheless, despite the promise of asynchronous online discussion to promote rich learning experiences, students do not always make use of its potential. The purpose of this study was to examine how a group of Singapore students interacted with one another, as well as the types of thinking skills, critical or creative thinking, and levels of information processing they exhibited during an asynchronous online discussion. This was an attempt to develop certain guidelines that would help facilitate students¡¯ in-depth thinking and promote student-to-student interaction in an online discussion environment.
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