Argumentation Training Boosts the Outcome of Negotiation in Collaborative Learning

Abstract

Negotiation is an essential technique in collaborative learning. In the negotiation process, students learn to listen to others’ opinions, express their own ideas, discuss divisions, and reach agreement. It also plays an important role in the construction of knowledge on the part of students. According to the constructivist theory, learning is a process of active construction, in which learners construct their knowledge and understanding through interaction with the environment (Yu-Jun, 2013). Negotiation is a crucial component of the interaction, contributing to enhancing learning engagement and developing in-depth understanding of information. Moreover, it is particularly effective in fostering students’ critical thinking ability in that it concerns discrimination and judgement of differential information and perspectives (Olson, 1997).