Diversity of Argumentative Processes and the Construction of a Culture of Argumentation in two Science Classrooms

Ana Paula Souto Silva Teles,Danusa Munford

doi:10.28976/1984-2686rbpec2021u627656

Abstract

This study aims to understand aspects of the construction of a classroom culture that foster argumentation by contrasting argumentative processes in two different middle-school classrooms. We adopted tools from interactional ethnography, and we adapted elements of the Theory of Argumentation Pragma-Dialects. We conducted participant observation with records in field notes and video. The results evidenced that the construction of a culture that foster argumentation occurs over time and it involves diverse argumentative processes. In both classrooms we observed that the forms that teachers interacted with students contributed to promote differences of opinion, and, hence, they supported a culture of argumentation. Students’ forms of participation also contributed to the variation in argumentation because they interacted with the teacher, as well as, with their peers. The study has potential to contribute to teachers’ practice and teacher education, as well as to advance our understandings about the diversity of argumentation processes.

Highlights

Argumentation plays an important role in the learning process (Billig, 1987; Schwarz, 2009) and in Science Education (Berland & Reiser, 2011; Henderson et al, 2018), as it can contribute to the conceptual, epistemic and social development of students, among other aspects (Duschl, 2008); there are many challenges to face so that argumentation is present in school science
We try to answer the question: How are the argumentative processes of the two class groups related to the construction of a classroom culture of argumentation? For the construction of the answers to this question, we consider the many different aspects related to the construction of a classroom culture of argumentation, as previously discussed in this article
With regard to the first aspect, we notice that scientific knowledge was subject to doubts and uncertainties (Henderson et al, 2018), even though the situations when there is argumentation have predominantly been those when there has been discussion of highly conceptual objects, without much scope for changes of position, under the perspective of Science Education

Summary

Introduction

Argumentation plays an important role in the learning process (Billig, 1987; Schwarz, 2009) and in Science Education (Berland & Reiser, 2011; Henderson et al, 2018), as it can contribute to the conceptual, epistemic and social development of students, among other aspects (Duschl, 2008); there are many challenges to face so that argumentation is present in school science. Teles & Munford out a consideration of this notion of ‘culture of argumentation’ and study characteristic aspects of a culture, through dialogue with literature These aspects guide our analyses, based on elements of Ethnography in Education and the Pragma-Dialectics theory of argumentation, these being theoretical and methodological perspectives that allow dialogue with the notion of culture and discourse as action. In this regard, we seek to take up a perspective that is more descriptive rather than normative, noting that this ‘description’ does not mean that we do not aim to explain phenomena, or the absence of theorisation. The distinction between descriptive and normative research is used to emphasize the centrality of participants’ perspectives for understanding phenomena (Kelly, 2005)

Objectives

Methods

Conclusion