Promoting the scientific argumentation skills of students using ADI-S and ADI models in chemical kinetics teaching

Abstract

An insufficient development of scientific reasoning ability (SR) is a root of students’ difficulty in mastering rate of reaction concepts. Reaction rate teaching that is commonly carried out in a verification approach contributes to the insuficient scientific reasoning. Argument-Driven Inquiry (ADI) model implementing argument based learning is expected to support students’ SR in order to improve their understanding on reaction rate. The production of a tentative argument phase in ADI model can support scientific argumentation skills (SA). However, due to their lack of confidence, students generally got into difficulty in producing an argument. Therefore, scaffolding should be inserted in ADI model. This study aimed to invertigate the effect of Scaffolding in ADI model towards students’ SA with the different students’ SR. A quasi experiment design with 2 x 2 factorial was used in this study and the posttest results were analysed by two way ANCOVA. The results show that: (1) ADI model + scaffolding (ADI-S) contributes to a better SA than ADI model only, (2) the higher the SR the better students’ SA both in ADI-S and ADI models, (3) the interaction between learning models and SR towards students’ SA was unfound.