How does Intensity of Writing Practices Correlate with Argumentative Writing Ability among Indonesian freshmen Students?

This study aimed to find the correlation between intensity practice and the result of students' argumentative writing performance. This descriptive quantitative study involved 41 students in the first semester of the English Language Teaching department at an Islamic state university in Lampung province, Indonesia. The data were taken from the argumentative writing tests and questionnaires. The test indicators were the content, organization, grammar, vocabulary, and mechanics of students' texts. The questionnaires were distributed to measure the students' intensity of writing practices. This research showed a positive correlation between the power of writing practice and the students' argumentative writing performance, with a correlation coefficient of 0.734 or 53.9%. The role of teachers' feedback in students' writings and how practice makes perfect in the context of learning to write are explained. This study implies that writing practice should gain more emphasis and priority to improve students' writing skills.&nbsp

ARGUMENTATION-BASED COMPUTER SUPPORTED COLLABORATIVE LEARNING (ABCSCL): THE ROLE OF INSTRUCTIONAL SUPPORTS

This paper investigates the role of instructional supports for argumentation-based computer supported collaborative learning (ABCSCL), a teaching approach that improves the quality of learning processes and outcomes. Relevant literature has been reviewed to identify the instructional supports in ABCSCL environments. A range of instructional supports in ABCSCL is proposed including scaffolding, scripting, and representational tools. Each of these instructional supports are discussed in detail. Furthermore, the extent to which and the way in which such instructional supports can be applied in ABCSCL environments are discussed. Finally, suggestions for future work and implications for the design of ABCSCL environments are provided.  Article visualizations

Worked example or scripting? Fostering students’ online argumentative peer feedback, essay writing and learning

This study compared the effects of worked example and scripting on students’ argumentative peer feedback, essay and learning qualities. Participants were 80 BSc students who were randomly divided over 40 dyads and assigned to two experimental conditions (worked example and scripting). An online peer feedback environment named EduTech was designed and students were tasked with writing an argumentative essay, engaging in peer feedback, and revising their essay. The results indicate that students in the scripting condition benefited more than students in the worked example condition regarding peer feedback quality. Furthermore, the scores of students in both conditions improved from pre-test to post-test in terms of argumentative essay writing and learning. This difference was significant, however, between the two conditions only with regard to argumentative essay writing favoring the scripting condition. We explain how each of these approaches can be used to improve students’ argumentative peer feedback and essay writing and learning.</p

Improving Hybrid Brainstorming Outcomes with Scripting and Group Awareness Support

Previous research has shown that hybrid brainstorming, which combines individual and group methods, generates more ideas than either approach alone. However, the quality of these ideas remains similar across different methods. This study, guided by the dual-pathway to creativity model, tested two computer-supported scaffolds – scripting and group awareness support – for enhancing idea quality in hybrid brainstorming. 94 higher education students,grouped into triads, were tasked with generating ideas in three conditions. The Control condition used standard hybrid brainstorming without extra support. In the Experimental 1 condition, students received scripting support during individual brainstorming, and students in the Experimental 2 condition were provided with group awareness support during the group phase in addition. While the quantity of ideas was similar across all conditions, the Experimental 2 condition produced ideas of higher quality, and the Experimental 1 condition also showed improved idea quality in the individual phase compared to the Control condition