The effect of dialogical argumentation and assessment for learning on Grade 1 learners’ conceptions of water pollution
| dc.contributor.author | Philander, Lorraine | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2025-09-09T10:42:59Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2025-09-09T10:42:59Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2024 | |
| dc.description.abstract | This study explores the effect of Dialogical Argumentation and Assessment for Learning as an Instructional Method (DAAFLIM) in enhancing Grade 1 learners' conceptions of water pollution. A quasi-experimental design was employed to compare the experimental (24) and control (24) groups’ epistemic knowledge of science. The theoretical framework of this study is based on Vygotsky’s (1978) social constructivist theory, Toulmin’s (1985) Argumentation Pattern (TAP), Ogunniyi’s (2007a) Contiguity Argumentation Theory (CAT), and Knowles’s self-directed learning (SDL). The study involved a mixed-method approach consisting of two intact classes of Grade 1 learners. The experimental group received the DAAFLIM intervention, and the control group received the traditional instructional method (TTM). This study utilized multiple data collection instruments and techniques, including a water-pollution questionnaire, classroom observations, focus-group interviews, video-recorded class lessons, and field notes. The data was analysed using both qualitative and quantitative methods. The study showed that DAAFLIM improved the conceptions of the experimental group significantly compared to the control group exposed to TTM. The findings also showed that SDL is best developed in a social environment where learners are provided with personalized opportunities to develop their SDL skills. These results advocate that dialogic argumentation can improve learners’ skills and dispositions for decision-making in a way that scientific inquiry alone may not. Moreover, the study has demonstrated the value of using the Dialogical Argumentation and Assessment for Learning Instructional Model (DAAFLIM) in the foundation phase as a more effective scaffolding pedagogical method to create a teaching and learning discussion space within an open SDL curriculum. | |
| dc.identifier.uri | https://hdl.handle.net/10566/20858 | |
| dc.language.iso | en | |
| dc.publisher | University of the Western Cape | |
| dc.subject | dialogical argumentation | |
| dc.subject | formative assessment | |
| dc.subject | constructivism | |
| dc.subject | self-directed learning | |
| dc.subject | knowledge construction | |
| dc.title | The effect of dialogical argumentation and assessment for learning on Grade 1 learners’ conceptions of water pollution | |
| dc.type | Thesis |