Argumentation in web-based collaborative inquiry learning: scripts for writing and scripts for talking aren't the same

We use the script concept to describe knowledge structures that help individuals understand and act in specific contexts as well as scaffolds structuring collaborative learning. External scripts can be presented in different ways, e.g. as written text. For internal scripts, it is not clear whether they have identical effects on collaborative argumentation processes in oral vs. written discussions. We empirically investigated the effects of two differently structured external scripts on the structural quality of written and oral arguments produced in dyads with either low or high structured internal scripts. External scripts were presented in a written mode at specific instances in a web-based inquiry learning environment. Results indicate that the high structured external script strongly improved the structural quality of the written arguments, but had hardly any effects on orally produced arguments, which were instead more strongly influenced by the learners’ internal scripts.