This study examines the extent to which verb argument construction (VAC) based indices of syntactic complexity could predict four different writing task conditions: a simple task with no repetition (S + NR), a simple task with repetition (S + R), a complex task with no repetition (C + NR), and a complex task with repetition (C + R). Ninety-six…

Background: Persuasion Wars are exercises for teaching social influence that have not been directly assessed with the use of students' knowledge gain as an indicator. Objective: This study aimed to establish the extent to which these exercises led to students' knowledge increase in comparison to traditional teaching method. Method: In a between…

Performing complex tasks such as writing an argumentative essay and providing high-quality argumentative peer feedback are challenging for higher education students. This study aims to explore whether and how students' argumentation performance during peer feedback activities and essay writing is related to their culture and gender. In this…

This Dissertation addresses findings from a qualitative case study. The researcher provided a) training and b) analysis of the follow-up performance of a Peer Mentor from the Student Success Center at an Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI), at The University of Texas at San Antonio. Following the training, prepared by Charles Ernest Wright, the…

This article assists argumentation and debate instructors in developing courses that provide coverage of foundational concepts while reflecting their own interests. Courses in argumentation and debate also offer instructors an opportunity to teach through applied engagement with contemporary events. We encourage instructors to reflect on the…

In our daily activities we are bombarded with persuasive messages. From advertising on mass and social media to interactions with friends, we are constantly exposed to attempts to change or reinforce our attitudes, values, beliefs, and behaviors. Conversely, we routinely attempt to influence others and gain their compliance through persuasive…

Teacher feedback is of little use without student engagement. Few studies have, however, empirically considered how direct interventions may enhance student engagement with feedback. This study explored whether and to what extent the use of a rebuttal-writing task can serve as a learning tool to promote student engagement with teacher feedback.…

The Dialectical Map (DMap) is an open-source, web-based argument visualization tool developed and used at a Canadian University to scaffold argument construction. To illustrate the ways that argument mapping can be used in undergraduate courses, this article presents five cases selected from courses in biology, psychology, computing science, and…

According to the literature, students' motivation and satisfaction can influence their perceived learning outcomes. However, little is known about what kind of a role do motivation and satisfaction play in the context of online peer feedback. This exploratory study aims to examine the relationship between students' motivation and satisfaction with…

In the literature, little is known regarding the role of students' perceived motivation and perceived fairness of peer feedback for their learning satisfaction, particularly in the context of argumentative essay writing in online learning environments. This study explores the effects of students' perceived motivation and perceived fairness of peer…

With increasing threats to democracy, we call for communication educators to renew and re-examine their commitment to advancing civic engagement in the basic course. Given recent scholarly criticism that civic engagement pedagogies falsely present democratic practice as neutral or apolitical and reinforce the status quo, we set an agenda for basic…

People need to critically comprehend information across multiple sources that express contradictory viewpoints to make decisions on relevant everyday-life issues and participate in the democratic discourse. However, the processing of multiple documents depends on readers' prior beliefs. The present study investigated the moderating effect of…

This study sought to gain insight into how faculty in other disciplines perceive communication skills as well as to conduct a needs analysis that can help us to develop resources to support faculty who are integrating communication assignments into their disciplinary courses. Survey data were collected from 232 faculty at three large, public…

At the college level, it can be difficult to engage students outside the classroom through the use of effective homework assignments. Although it is straightforward to create assignments that test the ability to carry out computations as discussed in class, it is more challenging to create assignments that encourage students to think more…

The present study aimed at investigating the similarities and differences of interactional metadiscourse markers and 3-word and 4-word participant-oriented bundles used in English argumentative texts of native speakers of English (NATIVE) and L1 Thai speakers (THAI) through the use of AntConc. The findings revealed that stance resources were used…