Argumentation Course by Electronic Mail

Abstract

This article examines the question of whether electronic‐mail (e‐mail) discussions provide university students with an appropriate and profitable environment for practising argumentation and critical thinking skills. An experiment in which 31 undergraduate students and two tutors engaged in argumentative e‐mail discussions is described. The discussions were related to two set books on the sociology of education. The participants’ perceptions of the discussions and of e‐mail as a study method were evaluated by means of a student questionnaire and tutor interviews. Most of the students found that the discussions included a lot of constructive critique, mutual encouragement and constructive advising. A majority of the students also reported taking an active part in the discussions and opening new exchanges by presenting their own grounded standpoints. The realized e‐mail discussions also included argumentation and debates between the students. Furthermore, the students found the learning climate to be motivating and supportive, and they were willing to complete another course in the same way. The tutors’ perceptions supported those of the students. The results suggest that e‐mail encouraged and stimulated the students to engage in argumentative debates and that e‐mail forms an appropriate context for practising argumentation.