What are the competences & difficulties of school students in writing material-based & multi-perspective argumentations in geography classrooms?

Abstract

The competence to argue is fundamental for participation in social discourse and for responsible action, as different actions can be evaluated, weighed and justified through argumentation. Such argumentation skills should be acquired in geography lessons. These lessons often deal with societal debates such as migration, climate change and sustainability, which are char-acterised by a certain multi-perspectivity. Since different types of materials are often used in geography lessons, this study is dedicated to material-based, multi-perspective written argumentation. First, a model is presented in which a set of didactic requirements for material-based, multi-perspectival argumentation on space use conflicts in geography lessons is presented. Then the results of a small study are presented in which seventeen 8th grade students wrote argumentative texts about a space use conflict. The results show that the students incorporated correct, but limited information from the material into their arguments. The arguments were mostly thematically appropriate, but imprecise. They found it easier to use the con-tinuous text materials than the discontinuous text materials. Students also had difficulty presenting their argumentation in a multi-perspective way, but were able to express their own opinions about the conflict. These results can help to under-stand where teachers can better support their students in writing such arguments.