Abstract
Until now, geography teaching has only touched upon the way in which students write argumentations focused on geographical topics, and the challenges of doing this. In order to shed light on this process, this study considers the problems and challenges students face when using material-based written argumentation in geography lessons. The results from 19 evaluated text products and sound thinking protocols, which were collected in the 8th grade of a comprehensive school, are presented and analyzed. These results show that simultaneously handling several materials at once is a challenge for the students in material-based writing due to a lack of processing techniques.
Highlights
The aim of geography classes is to educate students to become responsible citizens and to empower them to engage in social discourse
Writing in geography classes is an important tool for students' learning, helping them to absorb in depth knowledge and to aid in their understanding of content, for developing argumentations where technical evidence has to be linked logically to an individual’s positions
The results with regard to the research questions “To what extent does a material reference take place when the students compose a written argumentation?” and “What problems do the students have in material-based argumentative writing in terms of material inclusion?” are presented
Summary
The aim of geography classes is to educate students to become responsible citizens and to empower them to engage in social discourse. Writing in geography classes is an important tool for students' learning, helping them to absorb in depth knowledge and to aid in their understanding of content, for developing argumentations where technical evidence has to be linked logically to an individual’s positions. Formulating a written argument presents some challenges for students, as they have to simulate a dialogical exchange that gives the reader the impression of being in a real argumentative debate. They have to weigh up the different sides of the argument against each other and support them with relevant, knowledge-based information without losing reference to their own opinion. The student’s own text must be formulated in a way that is reader-friendly and comprehensible (Feilke & Tophinke, 2017)
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