Abstract
In kindergarten, children are usually engaged with both verbal activities and non-verbal activities, often requiring the manipulation of physical objects. During technical tasks (e.g., problem solving), children can use argumentation as one of the languages of science that mediates how they interact with the surrounding world. In this paper, we focused on technical tasks in kindergarten in order to understand to what extent activities requiring the manipulation of physical objects also leave space for argumentation. The study involved 25 children engaged in three problem-solving activities requiring the manipulation of Lego® and some recycled materials. To analyze the non-verbal (embodied) side of the argumentative activities, we firstly identified the argumentative structure of each exchange involving the participants. Then, we focused on segments of “incomplete” argumentative dialogues (i.e., presenting only some elements typical of children’s argumentation) by appealing to multimodal representations (speech, gestures, and physical objects). The findings of the study showed that even apparently incomplete exchanges can have an argumentative function generated by non-verbal elements of the interactions. Investigating the role of embodied argumentation during technical tasks in kindergarten can allow teachers to recognize and further develop children’s argumentative resources.
Highlights
Argumentation is a pervasive activity for people throughout their everyday lives, for instance when interlocutors are arguing to make their intentions explicit, to repair a communicative breakdown, or to persuade someone to do something or to make some decisions
The adults interacting with children do not always report well-structured examples of children’s argumentation, especially when they interact with young children that argue in an incomplete, non-standard way, different from the one expected by the adult
The present study suggested that, among the reasons behind this event, the fact that argumentation can be expressed through semiotic means, different from verbal forms, is a valuable way to enlarge the consideration of argumentative participation of young children, especially during embodied activities requiring the coordination of verbal and non-verbal actions
Summary
Argumentation is a pervasive activity for people throughout their everyday lives, for instance when interlocutors are arguing to make their intentions explicit, to repair a communicative breakdown, or to persuade someone to do something or to make some decisions. Specific attention to non-verbal aspects would make possible for teachers to recognize the children’s degree of participation and their contribution in argumentative activities requiring the discussion of a topic, and the manipulation of objects in order to solve a technical task. For this reason, the present study intends to contribute to the field of argumentation in science by highlighting the role of non-verbal elements during embodied practices of young children. The discussion of the main results of the investigation open a space for a general reflection about the challenges in studying children’s argumentation within embodied technical activities
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