Sequential Analysis of Online Scholarly Discussions of University Students using a Cognitive Subset of Critical Thinking

Abstract

Following the COVID-19 pandemic, online technologies have been introduced to facilitate students' engagement in education. Online discussion has been used to provide them a communal learning environment. This investigation examined online scholarly discussions conducted by university students with a view to ascertaining how they demonstrated critical thinking (CT). Course participants were tasked with submitting research reports related to assignments to the Moodle discussion forum. These were subsequently shared with their student peers. After the ensuing discussions were recorded, the statements made by the students were coded using subskill indicators of CT. A code sequence analysis was subsequently conducted, with CT and altruism serving as dependent variables. In total, 121 students contributed 310 messages to the Moodle forum. In cases involving CT, lower-level skills were found to be predominant among the code sequences. In contrast, cases involving altruism displayed sequences that transitioned from higher to lower skills. When both dependent variables were active, the highest count of sequences was recorded for self-regulation skill, indicating higher-order cognitive skill activities. The students recognized their cognitive limitations, actively sought additional information, and re-evaluated the topic. This study establishes a novel analytical methodology for evaluating critical thinking skills.

Received: 18 February 2023 / Accepted: 21 April 2023 / Published: 5 May 2023