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Investigating climate change through argumentation: Purposeful questioning supports argumentation and knowledge
Kalypso Iordanou1, Deanna Kuhn2
1School of Sciences, University of Central Lancashire Cyprus.
Journal of Experimental Psychology. Applied
|May 5, 2025
Summary
Adolescents learned climate change information more effectively when they could request it for use in arguments. This purposeful learning approach enhanced both knowledge and argumentation skills compared to traditional reading methods.
Area of Science:
- Educational Psychology
- Environmental Education
- Adolescent Learning
Background:
- Climate change education requires effective strategies for knowledge acquisition and skill development.
- Traditional methods may not fully leverage adolescent engagement for complex topics like climate change.
- Argumentation skills are crucial for understanding and addressing multifaceted issues.
Purpose of the Study:
- To test if acquiring climate change information with a perceived purpose enhances learning and argumentation skills.
- To compare a discourse-based, on-demand information access method with traditional assigned reading.
Main Methods:
- 125 young adolescents participated in a discourse-based program over several weeks.
- Experimental group: accessed climate change information via Q&A on an as-requested basis during peer dialogs.
- Comparison group: received identical information via assigned reading of an introductory text.
Main Results:
- Both groups showed gains in knowledge and skills for coordinating evidence with claims.
- The experimental group demonstrated significantly greater gains in both knowledge and argumentation skills.
- Purposeful information acquisition is linked to increased knowledge utilization.
Conclusions:
- Providing information with an anticipated purpose enhances learning outcomes for adolescents.
- Discourse-based, student-driven information access can be more effective than passive reading for complex topics.
- This approach fosters deeper engagement and better application of knowledge in argumentation.
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