Assessments of dialogic argumentati

Assessments of dialogic argumentation skill and argument evaluation skill
initially and at the end of each of the three years indicated that that the curriculum
promoted the use of counterargument generally and the direct counterargument skill
specifically. Performance of the experimental group increased over time in both respects
and exceeded that of the comparison group. Students participating in the intervention also
engaged in more sustained direct counterargument sequences than did students in the
comparison group at the final assessment. Parallel improvements in argument evaluation
skill of the experimental group relative to the comparison group suggest that evaluation
skill responds to practice much the same way as does argumentation performance.
Theoretical implications for our understanding of developmental mechanisms are
considered, as well as educational implications.
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