The aim of this study was to develop teaching methods for practising argumentative
problem-solving in a degree program of social services. The purpose was to acquire
knowledge about multiple (face-to-face, online, and integrated) learning environments for
studying argumentative problem-solving. In addition, the typical features of collaborative
argumentation in student discussions were identified. Two teaching experiments were
arranged in courses on drug and alcohol abuse. Both experiments required students to
solve open-ended problems through role-play regarding a fictive girl’s use of alcohol. The
idea of blended learning was applied in the first teaching experiment. Students (n = 29)
wrote individual essays and participated in small-group online discussions as well as small
group and classroom drama. The study consists of three sub-studies. In Sub-study 1, the
argumentation used by students in the essays they wrote during the three phases of the
teaching exper
iment was compared with the argumentation of the students in the control
group (n = 36). In the second teaching experiment, role-play was used with online as well
as face-to-face teaching. In Sub-study 2, the problem solving of online, face-to-face, and
control groups were compared and while in Sub-study 3 the collaborative argumentation
of online and face-to-face groups were compared. Furthermore, the activity level of
students’ participation was examined by counting the number of messages sent during the
online discussions (Sub-study 1). Students’ opinions about the usefulness of the methods
were gathered with questionnaires (Sub-study 2). The data consist of students’ essays (n =
175, Sub-study 1; n = 75, Sub-study 2), recorded face-to-face discussions (n = 3, Sub-study 3)
and online discussions (n = 3, Sub-study 3), questionnaires (n = 31, Sub-study 2), and online
messages (n = 215, Sub-study 1). The data were analysed with content analysis, and the
results were quantified and compared with statistical tests.
The results showed that a blended learning environment both broadened and
deepened students’ argumentation. The results also showed that students seldom critically
evaluated their viewpoints and decisions in their essays. The role-plays supported students’
argumentative problem-solving skills. In the face-to-face situation, students considered the
significant others’ perspectives in their post-tests better than in their pre-tests. Students in
the online groups justified their behavioural solutions in a more sophisticated way in the
post-tests than they did in the pre-tests. The communication was collaborative in nature,
especially in the face-to-face groups, whereas students’ justifications were stronger in the
online groups than they were in the face-to-face groups. Students participated in the online
role-plays more often than required. Students also found the role-plays to have benefitted
their teamwork and communication skills. Many students felt the role-plays helped them
to understand different viewpoints concerning adolescents’ use of alcohol. A pedagogical
model was created by integrating the methods and exercises used and tested in the study.
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