The majority of studies of argumentation in science education have employed
the analytical framework developed by Toulmin (1958). According to the Toulmin
Argumentation Pattern, the substantial components of an argument are claim, data,
warrant, and backing. Toulmin defined a claim which is a central component of an
argument as ‘an assertion put forward publicly for general acceptance’, grounds as
‘the specific facts relied on to support a given claim’, and backings as ‘generalizations
making explicit the body of experience relied on to establish the trustworthiness
of the ways of arguing applied in any particular case’. Toulmin also identified
two additional features of argument: rebuttals, which are ‘the extraordinary or exceptional
circumstances that may undermine the force of the supporting arguments’,
and qualifiers, which are ‘phrases that show what kind of degree of reliance is to be
placed on the conclusions, given the arguments available to support them’. In line
with the purpose of this research, TAP was utilized as an analytical framework in
the present study.