Using Critical Reading Tools to Facilitate the Learning of Argumentation Skills

Abstract

This study investigates the effectiveness of OASIS (Online Annotation and Argumentation Support for In uiry System) in facilitating students' argumentation skills. Students in two secondary four classes used OASIS as a tagging tool to read online texts and to evaluate the arguments of peers while studying a unit called ene Screening in the iberal Studies curriculum. Students' end-of-unit essays on were analyzed to assess the uality of their reasoning and the complexity of their argument structures. Students' scores on an examination uestion testing their reasoning skills on a related topic were also collected. Multiple regressions show that students' use of WHAT-tags was significantly related to uality of their argument structures and exam scores on reasoning. o relationship was found between their use of tags and the uality of their reasoning on their essays. Implications for further refinements in tool and task design for OASIS to facilitate argumentation skills are discussed.