Fostering critical thinking and reflection through blog‐mediated peer feedback
Abstract
The introduction of digital literacy practices has created a tension in academia, with many academics challenging the view that critical thinking can be fostered on social networks. A quasi‐experimental study was conducted on two sections of university‐level writing classrooms to determine if there were meaningful differences in the quality of writing and peer feedback generated through in‐class draft workshops using traditional methods as compared to draft workshops using a blogging platform. The results indicated that blogs produced a higher quality of writing as measured by grades, f(42) = 11.512, p < .002 and acceptance scores, f(42) = 8.364, p < .006. Furthermore, blog‐mediated peer workshops produced a statistically significantly higher number of critical comments, f(42) = 120.438, p < .000; and directive comments, f(42) = 33.861, p < .000. There were no statistically significant differences in the number of editing comments, f(42) = .001, p < .974, and traditional draft workshops produced a statistically significant higher number of naïve comments, f(42) = 14.119, p < .001. Within the study, critical comments were found to correlate positively with learning outcomes, b = 1.115, t(41) = 2.716, p < .01. The findings suggest that blogging software improved learner performance and fostered complex literacy skills.
Number of times cited: 5
- Olga A. Pilkington, Active Learning for an Online Composition Classroom: Blogging As an Enhancement of Online Curriculum, Journal of Educational Technology Systems, 10.1177/0047239518788278, 47, 2, (213-226), (2018).
- Matt Bower, Design of Web 2.0 Enhanced Learning, Design of Technology-Enhanced Learning, 10.1108/978-1-78714-182-720171009, (159-217), (2017).
- Owen M. Harney, Michael J. Hogan and Sarah Quinn, Investigating the effects of peer to peer prompts on collaborative argumentation, consensus and perceived efficacy in collaborative learning, International Journal of Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning, 12, 3, (307), (2017).
- Ying Tang and Khe Foon Hew, Is mobile instant messaging (MIM) useful in education? Examining its technological, pedagogical, and social affordances, Educational Research Review, 21, (85), (2017).
- Bart Huisman, Nadira Saab, Paul van den Broek and Jan van Driel, The impact of formative peer feedback on higher education students’ academic writing: a Meta-Analysis, Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 10.1080/02602938.2018.1545896, (1-18), (2018).
