University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

On the logical integrity of children's arguments

Anderson, Richard C.; Chinn, Clark A.; Chang, Janice; Waggoner, Martha

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/31285

Description

Title
On the logical integrity of children's arguments
Author(s)
  • Anderson, Richard C.
  • Chinn, Clark A.
  • Chang, Janice
  • Waggoner, Martha
Issue Date
1995-11
Keyword(s)
  • arguments
  • children's arguments
  • naturally occurring arguments
  • 4th grade
  • informal deductivism
  • speech act theory
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to investigate properties of children's naturally occurring arguments. The arguments were sampled from transcripts of 20 discussions held in 4 fourth-grade classrooms. The principal findings were that children's arguments are filled with seemingly vague referring expressions; that the arguments sometimes do not contain explicit conclusions; and that the arguments almost never contain explicit warrants to authorize conclusions. However, the missing or obliquely identified information usually is given in the text or preceding discussion or is a commonplace from everyday life and readily inferable by actively-cooperative participants in the discussion. Children seldom back their arguments by appealing to general principles, except when the foundation for the argument is disputed or seems confusing. At a more general level, we conclude that it is possible to give a coherent account of children's arguments within the framework of informal deductivism augmented with speech act theory.
Publisher
Champaign, Ill. : University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Center for the Study of Reading.
Series/Report Name or Number
Center for the Study of Reading Technical Report ; no. 628
Type of Resource
text
Language
eng
Permalink
http://hdl.handle.net/2142/31285
Copyright and License Information
Copyright 1995 Board of Trustees University of Illinois

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Technical Reports - Center for the Study of Reading PRIMARY