Peer agents can supplement real-time collaborative learning in asynchronous online courses. Constructive Controversy (CC) theory suggests that humans deepen their understanding of a topic by confronting and resolving controversies. This study explores whether CC's benefits apply to LLM-based peer agents, focusing on the impact of agents' disputatious behaviors and disclosure of agents' behavior designs on the learning process. In our mixed-method study (n=144), we compare LLMs that follow detailed CC guidelines (regulated) to those guided by broader goals (unregulated) and examine the effects of disclosing the agents' design to users (transparent vs. opaque). Findings show that learners' values influence their agent interaction: those valuing control appreciate unregulated agents' willingness to cease push-back upon request, while those valuing intellectual challenges favor regulated agents for stimulating creativity. Additionally, design transparency lowers learners' perception of agents' abilities. Our findings lay the foundation for designing effective collaborative peer agents in isolated educational settings.

翻译：同伴智能体能够为异步在线课程中的实时协作学习提供补充。建设性争议理论指出，人类通过面对并解决争议来深化对主题的理解。本研究探讨了建设性争议的益处是否适用于基于大语言模型的同伴智能体，重点关注智能体的争议性行为及其行为设计对学习过程的披露所产生的影响。在我们的混合方法研究中（样本量=144），我们将遵循详细建设性争议指导原则的受调控大语言模型与仅受宽泛目标引导的未受调控模型进行对比，并检验向用户披露智能体设计（透明与不透明）的效果。研究结果表明，学习者的价值观影响其与智能体的互动：重视控制感的学习者欣赏未受调控智能体在收到请求时愿意停止反驳的灵活性，而重视智力挑战的学习者则偏好受调控智能体以激发创造力。此外，设计透明度会降低学习者对智能体能力的感知。我们的研究结果为在孤立教育环境中设计有效的协作同伴智能体奠定了基础。