Crucial Dynamics: The Practice of Constructive Controversy vs. That of Concurrence Seeking in EFL Contexts

Abstract

With the present author's two previous studies having verified the positive effect of constructive controversy (CC) over concurrence seeking (CS) on both the attitude change (2004) and persuasive writing itself (to be published) in EFL contexts, this study mainly tended to identify and distinguish the crucial mechanism that might have operated differently during the practice of the two models so that the interaction effects on learning, and the correlation between the interaction effects and potential dynamics might be better understood for further research on as well as a more successful application of the EFL Constructive Controversy Procedure this author revised and proposed.As in the two preceding studies, 5 classes of 121 non-English college majors were treated with the 2 measures: CC and CS, on 2 different topics by being given 2 pairs of texts alternatively to minimize the effect likely to result from a non-synchronic practice of the two measures in natural settings. In addition, a pilot study was conducted with 141 other college students to examine the distinction between and within the 4 texts in difficulty and controversy. The whole experiment lasted for 6 weeks, with 3 weeks as a unit.On the basis of the implications made or questionnaires designed by many researchers (Dooley & Fryxell 1999; Johnson and Johnson 1985; Tjosvold et al. 1981; Tjosvold 1998; and among others), two post-instruction surveys composed of 30 questions each were created across 5 major categories: epistemic curiosity, learning modes, CS attributes, CC strategic competence, and outcomes, with the end for free comments. The two surveys were identical except for the first question regarding the intensity of interest in the addressed topic, which were administered on the 2nd and 4th weeks.The two corpuses of survey data collected from the 2 pedagogical models were computed through the rotated component matrix, the Pearson correlation, the Factor Analysis and Wilcoxon Signed Ranks Test. The findings corroborate many previous ones on one hand, but further elaborate some, particularly those concerning Chinese learners.