Facilitating fourth-grade students’ written argumentation: The use of an argumentation graphic organizer

Liwei Wei, Carla M. Firetto, P. Karen Murphy, Mengyi Li, Jeffrey A. Greene, Rachel M.V. Croninger

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

3 Scopus citations

Abstract

Literacy instruction in the 21st century must bolster students’ ability to critically process text and craft well-reasoned written argumentation. The authors investigated changes in fourth-grade students’ (N = 28; 15 girls) written argumentation as they used a researcher-developed graphic organizer (i.e., Quality Talk graphic organizer [QTGO]). The authors also examined the extent to which students’ graphic organizer performance predicted their written argumentation and whether such prediction was sustained across genres. Both QTGO responses and written argumentation essays were scored for quantity and quality. Multilevel modeling analyses reveal that (a) both quantity and quality of students’ written argumentation essays statistically significantly improved after students used QTGO and (b) students’ graphic organizer performance seemed to attenuate the effect of genre on their written argumentation for both quantity and quality. Results suggest that QTGO facilitated students’ written argumentation, making it easier for fourth-grade students to write about both narrative and expository texts.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)627-639
Number of pages13
JournalJournal of Educational Research
Volume112
Issue number5
DOIs
StatePublished - Sep 3 2019

Keywords

  • Written argumentation
  • fourth-grade students
  • graphic organizer
  • quality talk graphic organizer

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Education

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