In this era of extreme political polarization, it's tempting to believe nothing can be done to heal a nation that is so obviously divided and led by dysfunctional politicians. But there is a relatively simple and powerful way to begin the healing, and at the same time prepare the next generations of leaders for the rigorous demands of a constantly…

Scientific argumentation skills are a key component of science learning practices needed by students in the 21st century. Where the essence of scientific argumentation is to support the argument with evidence and reasoning and then refute the claims and evidence of the opponent's argument. Supporting arguments with evidence and reasoning can be…

This study aimed to investigate the effect of debating activities on prospective science teachers' willingness to argue. The sample group consisted of 27 students studying in the second year of Science Teaching. The Argumentation Willingness Scale and a structured interview form were used as research tools to collect data in the present study,…

This study investigated the effectiveness of using ChatGPT, a large language model (LLM), to enhance critical thinking and argumentation skills among undergraduate students studying international relations in a developing nation context. A total of 95 participants were randomly assigned to an experimental group (n = 48) and a control group (n =…

Few interventions reduce inequality in reading achievement, let alone higher-order thinking skills, among adolescents. We study policy debate--an extracurricular activity focused on improving middle and high schoolers' critical thinking, argumentation, and policy analysis skills--in Boston schools serving large concentrations of economically…

This article describes a pedagogical proposal, based on debates, to determine the type of arguments that pre-service English language teachers constructed at a public university in Tunja, Colombia. We implemented a series of debate workshops about educational issues. Thirteen modern languages pre-service teachers in their sixth semester…

The study aimed to examine the effect of argumentation-based teaching approach on developing prospective teachers' argument skills, and on their willingness to debate. The study employed the one-group pre-test-post-test experimental research design based on quantitative data. The participants consisted of a total of 192 3rd grade prospective…

The purpose of the study was to identify how debates effected the analytical thinking abilities of tertiary students and how the debates as an instructional approach were perceived by the students. The study used quantitative data collection methods such as tests and observation checklists and qualitative data collection methods such as a focus…

Few interventions reduce inequality in reading achievement, let alone higher order thinking skills, among adolescents. We study "policy debate"--an extracurricular activity focused on improving middle and high schoolers' critical thinking, argumentation, and policy analysis skills--in Boston schools serving large concentrations of…

The purpose of this action research is to introduce a debate activity contextualized in a scientific topic and explore its effectiveness in prompting teacher candidates' (TC) argumentation skills and affective perception of argumentation. We also investigate the separate impacts of the different aspects of the debate activity. Through comparing…

In this time of deep divisions, many Americans have recognized the need to heal schisms, repair the social fabric, and restore trust and civility in public discourse. The Better Arguments Project is based on the premise that American civic life does not need fewer arguments; it needs Better Arguments. The project stems from the founding idea that…

Evidence is widely recognized as an essential component of argumentation. Existing research has primarily focused on students' use of evidence to construct explanations or claims. In the present study, 54 11- to 12-year-old Chinese students participated in an extended discourse-based argumentation curriculum, along with an equivalent…

The political scene in Tunisia has drastically changed since the 2011 revolution. It has paved the way for free expression to become an essential component applicable to everyday life. It was thus fundamental to introduce competitive debating as a tool necessary to mediate and organize free speech inside educational practices. Although debating is…

The art of debating is an ancient practice that is still frequently performed in contemporary social, business, and political interactions. It is a valuable skill that requires several techniques taught in Academic English units, including the use of critical thinking, application of formal language, and development of sound arguments. These…

This paper presents the use of a debate in an online asynchronous social policy course. Debate is frequently used as an instructional strategy in higher education, but little is known about the use of this tool in an online learning environment. Participants (N = 36) completed an online debate assignment, and both qualitative (reflection papers)…