Brain, Digital, & Learning

 Open access, Peer Reviewed

Indexed in KCI

pISSN 2384-2474
eISSN 2586-7490

RESEARCH ARTICLE

Unveiling Argumentation Skill Profiles: Using Toulmin’s Argumentation Model on Senior High School Students’ Responses to General Biology Open-Ended Questions

1Kangwon National University
2Seoul National University

Correspondence to Minsu Ha, msha101@snu.ac.kr

Brain, Digital, & Learning. Volume 13, Number 4, 553–571, December 2023. https://doi.org/10.31216/BDL.20230032
Received on November 21, 2023, Revised on December 14, 2023, Accepted on December 17, 2023, Published on December 31, 2023.
Copyright © 2023. Institute of Brain based Education, Korea National University of Education This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Abstract

In the pursuit of effective scientific communication, scholars employ argumentation—an idea-anchoring process using reliable evidence. This study focuses on nurturing scientific argumentation skills among 280 high school students in the Philippines, specifically in general biology, using Toulmin’s model. Participants from Bayambang National High School responded to a 15-item open-ended questionnaire; six items were used for Toulmin’s analysis, categorizing responses into five levels. Using Chi-square tests, we explored associations between response distribution, grade levels, and gender differences. Results show a correlation between grade levels and argumentation proficiency, notably 12th-grade students in levels 4 to 5. No significant gender-based differences emerged, indicating fairness in argumentation skills. Emphasizing the positive impact of integrating argumentation and scientific literacy in fostering critical thinking, Toulmin’s model for daily science assessments is recommended. Effective teacher questioning and dilemmatic queries stimulate diverse thinking. Educators defining criteria for a “good” argument and providing targeted instruction for students’ proficiency are pivotal. Studying formative assessment in Philippine biology refines practices, informs academia, and supports an inclusive education system for educators and policymakers, recognizing the dynamic nature of argumentation skills.
Keywords

Scientific argumentation, Toulmin argumentation, high school, gender differences, formative assessment strategies, biology education in the Philippines

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