Habilidades de argumentación escrita: Una propuesta de medición para estudiantes de quinto básico

Abstract

The ability to argue is fundamental to be socially fit. However, evidence suggests that school systems show little capability to promote the development of these kinds of skills. In part, this is a consequence of the difficulty to measure and acknowledge progress. The objective of these study was to construct an instrument to measure written argumentation skills in fifth graders of municipal schools in the western metropolitan area of Santiago. 154 Chilean students participated, 77 of whom were girls. Findings supports the claim that the instrument is reliable and able to report the level of development along several dimensions of written argumentation skills. Consistent with expectations, most students were able to elaborate opinions and simple arguments and to understand counter-arguments. However, they clearly had difficulties providing counter-arguments.