Introducing the discussant role to stimulate debate in the classroom: effects on interactivity, learning outcomes, satisfaction and attitudes

Abstract

Debates can help students to acquire cross-curricular competencies and improve their learning. However, their use in higher education is scarce and students' acceptance is low. Considering the effectiveness of discussants in scientific conferences, this research introduces the discussant activity as a teaching tool to revitalise the debate in the classroom. We propose and test a model to analyse the effects of this activity on three important aspects of learning (interactivity, learning outcomes, and satisfaction). We examine how these variables determine the students' attitudes towards the two roles that can be adopted in the activity (discussant or discussed) and their overall evaluation. We test the model regarding the students' expectations and perceptions once the activity has been experienced. Results show significant relationships between interactivity, learning, and satisfaction. Moreover, the three factors strongly determine attitudes and overall evaluation of the activity. Differences before and after experiencing the activity are also found.

Discuss to learn: a student-focused learning strategy

“…Moreover, it has been shown that the discussant role activity creates a higher interactivity expectancy among the students and can complement traditional learning strategies. This finding has also been obtained in previous studies (Fandos-Herrera et al. , 2019).…”

“…As interactivity has been directly related to learning outcomes (Bravo et al., 2016; Fandos-Herrera et al. , 2019), it is reasonable to hypothesize that students' perceived interactivity will have a positive effect on the activity evaluation.…”

“…Likewise, expectation-disconfirmation theory has been used to explain students' satisfaction in higher education (Ali et al, 2016;Appleton-Knapp and Krentler, 2006;Athiyaman, 1997). Students' satisfaction in higher education is the difference between the expectations they have at the beginning of a course and their postlearning experience perception once the course has finished (Fandos-Herrera et al, 2019).…”

“…This study analyses the activity of the discussant role, where the students actively collaborate in the learning process (Fandos-Herrera et al. , 2019).…”

“…This study analyses the activity of the discussant role, where the students actively collaborate in the learning process (Fandos-Herrera et al, 2019). Throughout the activity, the teacher fosters critical thinking by allowing the students to actively interact in class and give feedback to their classmates through discussion and debate with a real and critical standpoint, based on their cognitive experience.…”