Nurturing argumentation skills on socioscientific issues : identifying effective subject-related components from students' perceptions

Abstract

Students’ argumentation skills have been the emphasis of many studies in science education during the last decade. As scientific literacy has advocated an informed decision-making about socioscientific issues (SSI), students are expected to apply sophisticated argumentation skills in the negotiation and resolution of these issues. Yet several studies reported that students’ argumentation skills on SSI were generally weak. Although some existing research has investigated how to nurture students’ argumentation skills on SSI, little is known about students’ perceptions of effective learning elements within the school curriculum.

The present study therefore adopted a student perspective to examine underlying factors in the development of students’ argumentation on SSI in the Hong Kong senior secondary education system. Hong Kong has undergone an educational reform in which certain subjects (e.g., Liberal Studies and Science) have new learning emphasis incorporated that is related to argumentation skills on SSI. Hence, learning in these subjects, termed as subject-related components in the present study, and respective learning experiences were of concern for understanding how various subjects helped to nurture students’ argumentation skills on SSI based on students’ perceptions.

One hundred and twenty students from a local secondary school participated in the study. Their argumentation skills in Secondary 4 and 6 were compared with reference to two data sources: performances in the SSI questionnaire and the recommendation of subject teachers teaching them argumentation skills and/or SSI. Students exhibiting an improvement in argumentation skills were invited for a group discussion about topics identical to those on the SSI questionnaire. Their argumentation skills in the group discussion were further analyzed and compared. The top nine students with the most sophisticated argumentation skills on SSI were invited for an individual interview to probe the subject-related components and respective learning experiences that facilitated their improvement in the skills.

Five subject-related components were identified: (i) framework of argumentation, (ii) apprehension of news reports, (iii) taking multiple perspectives, (iv) evidence understanding and (v) skepticism. These components – perceived by the students as interrelated – were brought about by various learning experiences such as issue-based writing tasks and scientific investigation. In addition, three major characteristics of acquiring the components were interpreted. First, synergy between subjects took place, in which different subjects were responsible for specific components and a nexus of subject learning was conducive to the development of argumentation skills. Second, various features of the learning experience, including being mark-oriented, open-ended and inquiry-based, helped facilitate the acquisition of the components. Third, relevant knowledge, skills as well as attitudes were cultivated to comprehensively support students’ argumentation skills on SSI.

Implications for nurturing students’ argumentation skills on SSI within the school curriculum were discerned, in particular the need for (i) the development of relevant knowledge, skills as well as attitudes through teaching the five subject-related components, and (ii) more research on student learning of argumentation skills on SSI from their own perspectives. The findings provide a better understanding of students’ authentic learning experience in the classroom and can help develop a more holistic model of student learning of argumentation skills on SSI.