The effectiveness of on-line discussions for preparing students for a Paideia Seminar

This study investigates the impact of an on-line discussion on the nature of students’ patterns of interaction and the cognitive complexity of these discussions during asynchronous discussions (on-line) as a means of preparation for a Paideia Seminar (face-to-face discussion). The study was conducted in 12 experimental classrooms and 12 control classrooms across six schools (ages 11–13) of varying socioeconomic groups. Results show that the experimental group increased in student-to-student initiated discussions and in their complexity of discourse for both the on-line discussions and the Paideia Seminars. These gains were greater for mid/high than low socioeconomic students. This study suggests that the intervention of the on-line discussions did have a significant impact on the complexity of the discussions during a face-to-face Paideia Seminar, and thus makes this method more accessible to other teachers.