Social studies educators who applaud discourse-based approaches may benefit by adding research on argumentation to their conceptual toolkit. We make the case here for its value, in particular emphasizing that argumentation skill needs to develop, suggesting an apprenticeship model of this development and highlighting evidence supporting it.

As implementation of the "Next Generation Science Standards" moves forward, there is a need for new assessments that can measure students' integrated three-dimensional science learning. The National Research Council has suggested that these assessments be multicomponent tasks that utilize a combination of item formats including…

Teacher professional learning communities (PLCs) are a valuable tool that increase teacher collaboration to enhance student learning. These adult learning environments are dynamic in that they are places where adults are able to work within a community of practice (CoP) to address work-related challenges and lend support in semi-structured…

Although previous belonging research has investigated social belonging sources, few studies have examined academic sources that include teacher and peer behaviors. Questions remain concerning the contextualization of belonging in specific disciplines and pedagogies. This study explores middle schoolers' science classroom belonging within two…

While the teaching of controversial issues has generally been supported by schools and education scholars, new laws and public outcry have impacted whether and how controversial issues are taught. Calls to ban or limit teaching of controversial issues have largely been spurred by conservative parents, policymakers, and political groups. Some…

In the 2020-2021 pro-democracy protests in Thailand, an unprecedented number of high school students participated on all levels: from organizing rallies to small symbolic actions. To better understand this phenomenon, we engaged 691 Thai students from diverse backgrounds to write a letter to a recipient on the other side of the political divide.…

This study investigates how task complexity affects native speakers' and second language (L2) learners', and experts' perceptions of task difficulty in writing tasks. It also explores how task complexity influences English native speakers' and L2 learners' linguistic complexity in their writing. Ninety participants performed one simple and one…

Despite the growing interest in AI for language assessment, there remains a significant research gap regarding its usefulness for assessing less proficient language skills, particularly those of learners of English as a second or foreign language (S/FL). AI models often prioritize proficient writing, neglecting the intricacies of learner language.…

This study investigates the impact of wiki-mediated collaborative writing (WMCW) on enhancing persuasive writing skills, 21st century skills, and writing self-efficacy of English for Specific Purposes (ESP) students, following the Vygotskian social-constructivist theory of learning. Two intact classes, comprising 79 ESP students, were randomly…

Prompt literacy has emerged as a pivotal concept in academic writing, particularly within higher education. This systematic literature review (SLR) critically examines and synthesizes research conducted between 2020 and 2025 on using prompting strategies to enhance academic writing among university students. The review aims to identify the types…

Critical thinking is integral to English language teaching (ELT) as it enhances both linguistic competence and higher-order cognitive abilities such as analysis, evaluation, and problem-solving. This paper explores how critical thinking can be systematically embedded in ELT to foster intellectual maturity and independent learning. It examines…

This discussion paper makes the case that the term counter-argument should be replaced with the term "alternative point of view," as the counter-argument, in an essay, implies that it is the opposite of the argument put forth by the writer, and, in fact, it isn't. It, also, looks at the root of the word counter and how that word is often…

Although competent argumentative writing is important for academic success and daily life, it is difficult to teach, especially in middle schools where English is taught as a foreign language (EFL). Previous research has indicated that extensive reading or writing improves the descriptive writing skills of EFL students. However, it is not certain…

This article provides a replication study of the National Writing Project's College, Career, & Community Writers Program (C3WP), which was found to be effective at improving student writing quality in two prior studies. C3WP is designed to improve students' source-based argument writing through intensive teacher professional development,…

The aim of this study is to increase pre-service science teachers' awareness of climate change through online argumentation activities. The study prepared pre-service training content based on online argumentation to increase climate change awareness. For the training, activities were prepared based on online argumentation for the sub-dimensions…