Argumentation ability of eighth-grade students on Pythagorean theorem material using Toulmin's argumentation model

Abstract

It is known that students' argumentation skills remain in the low category, and it is important for teachers to improve the teaching and learning process to foster their development. Before making improvements, it is necessary to assess each student's argumentation ability to determine appropriate steps to enhance the teaching and learning process, ensuring that every student's argumentation skills improve. Therefore, this study aims to describe students' argumentation skills on the Pythagorean Theorem using Toulmin's Argumentation Scheme (claim, data/grounds, warrant, backing, qualifier, rebuttal) among eighth-grade students in junior high school. The research employed a descriptive approach. The research subjects were four eighth-grade students, purposively selected from one class. Data were collected through: (1) contextual problem-solving tasks on the Pythagorean Theorem designed to elicit argument components, (2) argumentation worksheets based on Toulmin's scheme, (3) clinical interviews to explore students' reasoning, and (4) observation and document analysis. Data analysis was conducted through data reduction, display, and conclusion drawing, using coding techniques to identify the occurrence and quality of each Toulmin component, then grouping them into low, medium, and high argument quality categories. The results showed that one student had high argumentation ability, two had moderate, and one had low.