Argument Patterns in Redox Reaction and Electrochemistry Topics in a High School Textbook

Abstract

Presenting teaching material in an argumentative manner makes it easier for students to understand it. This study aimed to describe and explain Toulmin’s argument patterns, their percentages, the quality of arguments, and incorrect arguments in the redox reactions and electrochemistry topic in one high school chemistry textbook. The research method was document analysis. Validity was tested by triangulation among three researchers. The results showed that the patterns of Toulmin’s arguments of two, three, and four elements were 51%, 34%, and 6%, respectively. The two-element argument patterns consisted of CG and GC. The three-element argument patterns comprised CGW, GWC, CWG, WCG, and GCW. The four-element argument patterns comprised GCWB, CGWB, GWCB, and CGWR. The quality of the arguments according to the parameters of the Toulmin Argumentation Protocols (TAP) varied from medium to high. In contrast, the quality based on the Quality of Argument Structure Rubric (QASR) parameters varied from fair to excellent. There were five claims, eight grounds, and two warrants that were not precise or incomplete. Most of the arguments were well written, but there were many shortcomings in providing explanations. This topic needs to be supplemented with more elements of arguments. Keywords: argument patterns, redox reactions, electrochemistry, textbook