The devil's advocate role in asynchronous online discussions: Asian region undergraduate perspectives

William Hamilton Bicksler and Peter Hannah
Khon Kaen University International College, Thailand

Responding to the need for learning to remain engaging and productive while classrooms have moved online, a qualitative study was conducted to gain greater insight into the use of asynchronous online discussions as a replacement for their in-class counterpart. Specifically, the researchers aimed to gauge student responses to their use of the devil's advocate role and its learner-centred and potentially confrontational processes in a region where such practices might be contrary to traditional educational values. Semi-structured, in-depth interviews were undertaken with fourteen students from a university study program conducted in English. Results of a thematic analysis indicate that asynchronous online discussions and the devil's advocate role can be successfully adopted amongst such students, though attention should be paid to some design considerations. This study adds to the current literature by investigating a yet understudied discussion facilitation role and its interaction with cultural values and is useful for those designing online courses in Asian region contexts.
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Authors: William Hamilton Bicksler, Khon Kaen University International College, Communication Arts Division, Khon Kaen, Thailand. Hamilton holds a Master of Arts in Communication from Texas Tech University. His experience in the classroom ranges from teaching English, science, public speaking, and communication theory to mostly non-native English speakers. His professional interests include exploring a variety of teaching methods through the application of interactive learning experiences. Email: willbi@kku.ac.th Peter Hannah, Khon Kaen University International College, Communication Arts Division, Khon Kaen, Thailand. Peter holds a Master of Education (TESOL) from Queensland University of Technology, Australia, and has over ten years' experience teaching English language and communication related courses, mainly in Thailand. His professional interests include intercultural communication and intercultural pedagogies. Email: peter@kku.ac.th Please cite as: Bicksler, W. H. & Hannah, P. (2022). The devil's advocate role in asynchronous online discussions: Asian region undergraduate perspectives. Issues in Educational Research, 32(1), 36-56. http://www.iier.org.au/iier32/bicksler.pdf