The purpose of this study was to examine group interaction and critical thinking in online threaded discussions. The Discussion Analysis Tool (DAT) was used to identify patterns in interactions and determine which interactions promoted critical thinking. With DAT, discussion transcripts were coded across twelve critical thinking events, and transitional probabilities between events were computed using the method of sequential analysis (Bakeman and Quera 1995). By computing the transitional probabilities, DAT generated useful quantitative descriptions of interaction patterns and critical thinking events that followed. The findings show that interactions involving conflicting viewpoints promoted more discussion and critical thinking, and that evaluation of arguments was more likely to occur as conclusions were being drawn-not as arguments were being presented. Tools such as DAT will be useful for empirically testing interactions and structures that enhance online discussions, providing the basis for more systematic testing of instructional interventions and computer-conferencing technologies.
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