SKILLS THAT PRE-SERVICE PRIMARY TEACHERS’ CONSIDER
IMPORTANT IN ARGUMENTATION APPROACH
Ca olina Ma ín-Gámez¹, Te esa P ie o2 and Mª del Ca men Acebal3
1,2,3Uni e si y o Málaga, Málaga, Spain
A gumen a ion as a o m o scien i ic discou se is a powe ul ool ha allows s uden s ques ioning,
jus i ying, and e alua ing hei and o he s’ claims. In science educa ion, ansmissi e eaching
p edomina es and his leads o di icul ies in s uden s’ cons uc ion o a gumen s and highligh s limi a ions
in eache s' pedagogical abili ies in he managemen o his ype o ac i i ies. Also, eache s' belie s and
pe cep ions ha e a big in luence in he way hey each. Thus, he pu pose has been o in es iga e p e-se ice
p ima y eache s’ belie s o wha would be he skills hey need as a co e o suppo a gumen a ion in science
class ooms, and wha skills s uden s can de elop when pa icipa e in science lessons based in
a gumen a ion. Resul s show ha P e-se ice Teache s o P ima y pay li le a en ion o he skills hey will
need in o de o manage di e en me hodological s a egies as deba e, pai wo k o pai discussion, ha
suppo he a gumen a ion app oach. Mo eo e , hey lack o awa eness abou wha is a good a gumen and
i s componen s, besides scien i ic knowledge. These esul s a e signi ican because hey indica e a need in
designing speci ic aining p og ams o suppo eache s in acqui ing knowledge and skills abou
a gumen a ion.
Keywo ds: A gumen a ion, P e-se ice P ima y Teache s, Skills.
INTRODUCTION
Con empo a y science educa ion places a g ea emphasis on scien i ic li e acy. D i e , New on & Osbo ne
(2000) and Sadle (2006) highligh he impo ance o s uden s’ ac i e pa icipa ion in discou se in a science
class oom o de elop o hei scien i ic li e acy. This means in oducing in science eaching some o he
p ocesses and si ua ions ha occu in he social con ex , which a o he in ol emen o s uden s in
o ganiza ional p ocesses o hinking, communica ing ideas, adop ing posi ions, and p omo e hei con idence
in he a gumen s suppo ing hei own choices while de eloping espec o o he s (Kols ø, 2001).
A gumen a ion is a o m o scien i ic discou se (E du an & Jimenez-Aleixand e, 2012) and a powe ul ool
ha allows s uden s ques ioning, jus i ying, and e alua ing hei and o he s’ claims (Duschl & Osbo ne,
2002; E du an, Dilek & Yakmaci-Guzel, 2006). Howe e , in science educa ion, ansmissi e eaching
p edomina es, o e ing ew oppo uni ies o s uden s o engage in dialogic a gumen a ion (Duschl &
Osbo ne, 2002). This leads o di icul ies in s uden s’ cons uc ion o a gumen s (Duschl & Osbo ne, 2002;
New on, D i e & Osbo ne, 1999) and highligh s limi a ions in eache s' pedagogical abili ies in he
managemen o his ype o Ac i i ies (Au ho s, 2016; New on, D i e & Osbo ne, 1999).
On he o he hand, esea ches show ha eache s' belie s and pe cep ions ha e a big in luence in he way
hey each (Po lán e al., 2010). Fo hese easons, i is necessa y o iden i y hei hough s on a gumen a ion
o design speci ic p og ams o eache aining in o de o p omo e he knowledge and awa eness hey need
o modi y hei belie s.
METHODOLOGY
72 p e-se ice P ima y eache s a a Spanish uni e si y ha e pa icipa ed in his s udy: 50 women and 22
men aged om 19 o 43 and o ganized in 15 wo k g oups om 4 o 6 membe s. They we e s udying he
hi d cou se o he G ade o P ima y Teache s and hei only exposu e o science educa ion had been in a
P ac icum du ing wo weeks. Ou main pu pose has been o in es iga e hei pe cep ions o wha would be
he skills hey need as a co e o suppo a gumen a ion in science class ooms. Speci ically, we wan o
answe he ollowing esea ch ques ions: Wha skills do hey hink a e undamen al in conduc ing science
lessons based in a gumen a ion? and Wha skills do hey hink s uden s can de elop when hey pa icipa e in
science lessons based in a gumen a ion?
An ac i i y was p oposed o he wo k g oups a he beginning o he subjec “Science Educa ion” module o
he i s semes e when hey s ill hadn' go any con ac wi h he ole o discou se and a gumen a ion in he
science class oom. This consis ed in e lec ing abou an ac i i y based in a gumen a ion (Ma ín-Gámez &
P ie o, 2015). I was adap ed o PED (2013) and I s pu pose was o se a con ex o pa icipan s o e lec
abou : a) why a gumen is impo an in eaching science; b) skills needed o conduc lessons based in
a gumen a ion; and c) wha echniques and esou ces could suppo he a gumen a ion. A e eading i , each
wo k g oup should hink o e and each a consensus in hei answe s o he ollowing ques ions: 1. Would
you use such s a egies in you u u e lessons? Why?; 2. Do you hink his kind o lesson is common in he
P ima y school? I no , why?; 3. Wha skills a e mainly equi ed o use his app oach?; 4. Wha knowledge
is mainly equi ed o use his app oach?
A quali a i e app oach was applied. The p ocess began wi h e e y au ho o his wo k making an indi idual
analysis o he da a, in o de o de e mine eme gen aspec s (C eswell, 1998). The esul s o each one we e
compa ed and amed in he wo k o Osbo ne, E du an & Simon (2004). Then, a consensus was eached o
desc ibe a se o non-excluding ca ego ies o each ques ion.
RESULTS
The analysis shows ha 11 o wo k g oups would use his kind o ac i i ies in hei science class ooms.
Thei easons a e collec ed in able 1. Only one o he g oups wouldn’ use a gumen a ion ac i i ies because
hey conside ha his kind o ac i i ies wouldn' mo i a e he s uden s. The o he s 3 g oups would use hem
depending on cogni i e le el o s uden s.
Table 1. Ca ego ies and equencies in a i ma i e answe s
ques ion 1.
Ca ego ies
F equency
To encou age ques ioning o ideas
9
To encou age unde s anding o scien i ic
knowledge
3
To encou age ideas’ jus i ica ion
2
To encou age inqui y’ skills
4
To allow o deba es in class oom
1
Table 2. Ca ego ies and equencies in answe s
ques ion 3.
Ca ego ies
F equency
Skill o ansmi scien i ic
knowledge
5
Skill o a ouse in e es s
4
Skill o encou age pa icipa ion
7
Skill o encou age a gumen a ion
4
Skill o encou age e lec ion
6
A e hei P ac icum pe iod, all he wo k g oups, excep one, conside ha hese kind o ac i i ies a e
in equen in P ima y (ques ion 2) because a science class oom p edomina es memo y lea ning (7 g oups),
he kind o ex books ac i i ies (6 g oups) o because hese ac i i ies consume a lo o ime class oom (2
g oups). Table 2 p esen s he equencies o he wo k g oups’ answe s o ques ion 3. Eigh g oups men ion
only one eache s’ skill: skill o ansmi scien i ic knowledge o skill o encou age he pa icipa ion. The
o he 7 g oups p opose a minimum o 2 o 3 skills, highligh ing he one o encou aging e lec ion and
pa icipa ion. On he o he hand, answe s o ques ion 4 show ha a majo i y o g oups (12) hink ha
eache s only need scien i ic knowledge o use a gumen a ion app oach. The knowledge abou componen s
o a good a gumen and abou me hodological s a egies o encou age a gumen a ion a e only added by 3
wo k g oups.
CONCLUSIONS
The esul s show ha mos o hese P e-se ice P ima y Teache s ela e he a gumen a ion app oach o
de elop s uden s’ skills o ques ioning o ideas. Howe e , hey don’ conside ha his kind o app oach will
help s uden s o de elop inqui y skills and ideas jus i ica ion. In addi ion, no one mani es ha i could be a
good way o p omo e unde s anding o scien i ic knowledge and s uden s' lea ning o e alua e hei own and
he o he s ideas (E du an, Dilek & Yakmaci-Guzel, 2006).
Fu he mo e, esul s sugges ha pa icipan s hink ha he a gumen a ion app oach in P ima y science
class oom is no equen because eache s encou age memo y lea ning and ex books ac i i ies. In no case
hey men ion he speci ic o ma ion ha eache s should ha e o use his kind o app oach (New on D i e ,
& Osbo ne, 1999). I seems ha P e-se ice Teache s o P ima y don’ conside ha eache s need acqui e
some skills o manage di e en me hodological s a egies as deba e, pai wo k o pai discussion, among
o he s, ha suppo he a gumen a ion app oach. Mo eo e , da a poin ou ha hey a e no awa e ha his
app oach needs also he knowledge abou wha is a good a gumen and i s componen s, besides scien i ic
knowledge. These esul s a e signi ican because hey indica e he need in designing speci ic aining
p og ams o suppo eache s in acqui ing knowledge and skills abou a gumen a ion. Then, P ima y
Teache s will be able o help o hei u u e s uden s o cons uc good a gumen s in Science Educa ion.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
This s udy is pa o he p ojec “La a gumen acıón como es a egıa me odológıca pa a el desa ollo de
compe encıas p o esıonales docen es.” [A gumen a ion as a me hodological s a egy o he de elopmen o
p o essional eache compe ences] (PIE15-74) unded by he Uni e si y o Málaga in he assembly o 2015.
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