Students’ Argumentation Performance in Online Learning Environments: Bridging Culture and Gender

Abstract

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 exploratory study, 240 students participated from a Dutch university. Since this study was conducted in a Dutch context, students’ culture was categorized as either Dutch or non-Dutch. Both Dutch and non-Dutch students followed an online module for three consecutive weeks and completed three tasks each week. In week one, students wrote an argumentative essay. In week two, students were invited to provide two sets of feedback on two peers’ essays. In week three, students were requested to revise their essays based on the received feedback from peers. Finally, students’ culture and gender were collected. The results showed that non-Dutch students provide higher-quality feedback than Dutch students in terms of justifying the identified problem in the essays. Similarly, non-Dutch students outperformed Dutch students regarding their essay writing performance by providing deeper arguments against the position, justifications for arguments against the position, and responses to counter-arguments. Although the overall differences between Dutch and non-Dutch students in peer feedback and argumentative essays were not significant between males and females, non-Dutch male students provided more affective feedback than Dutch male students. The results of this study provide insights for teachers regarding how to support international students in performing complex skills such as peer feedback and argumentative essay writing.