The effects of Socratic questioning on critical thinking in web-based collaborative learning

While scholars increasingly agree that use of the online learning environment allows teachers to develop solutions to course problems more effectively, the extent to which it enhances students' learning skills is an empirical matter that has received mixed results. Understanding this gap in the literature, the present study examines the impact of Socratic questioning on pre-service teachers' critical thinking skills in web-based collaborative learning. Their critical thinking skills were analysed in two ways - a content analysis of individual postings and students' discussion flows in terms of the following three consensus building types: (1) quick consensus building; (2) integration-oriented consensus building; and (3) conflict-oriented consensus building. Both qualitative and quantitative analyses of their discussion flows were examined using a discussion flow analysis tool and a multinomial logistic regression. Results from the content analysis showed that novel, justified and critical messages were more likely to be found on the pre-service teachers' discussion boards in which the instructor provided Socratic questionings. In addition, a multinomial logistic regression analysis showed that groups exposed to the Socratic questionings were more likely to develop consensus through a conflict-oriented process, rather than a quick consensus building with simple agreements. Implications are discussed.