The Effects of Collaborative Argumentation on Learning Engagement and Critical Thinking: An Empirical Study of Processes and Outcomes

This study explored the effects of collaborative argumentation activities on university students’ learning engagement and critical thinking, and further analyzed the relationship between critical thinking processes and learning outcomes. A one-group pretest-posttest quasi-experimental design was used. 28 students participated in an eight-week collaborative argumentation teaching intervention. The results showed that: (1) collaborative argumentation significantly improved students’ learning engagement and critical thinking dispositions, with all students showing positive improvement; (2) the frequency of critical thinking processes was significantly and positively correlated with improvement in learning engagement, but not significantly related to improvement in critical thinking disposition; (3) improvement in learning engagement was strongly and positively correlated with improvement in critical thinking disposition, suggesting that learning engagement may play a mediating role in the development of critical thinking. The results confirmed the multidimensional and complex nature of critical thinking development. The study also highlights that teachers should not only focus on training students’ critical thinking skills, but also pay attention to promoting the internalization of thinking dispositions by increasing learning engagement, in order to cultivate students’ critical thinking more comprehensively.