Using Quality Talk to Foster Transfer of Students' Critical-Analytic Discussions to Their Argumentative Writing

• In Event: Oral and Written Argumentation

Abstract

Quality Talk (QT) is an approach to small-group, text-based discussion that supports students’ critical-analytic thinking and high-level comprehension. Students are explicitly taught how to generate strong oral arguments, and they practice co-constructing oral arguments during weekly QT discussions. Research is needed to identify the extent to which students transfer their newly acquired oral argumentation skills into written argumentation. In the proposed presentation we will overview two studies. First, we considered the transfer effect of QT on written argumentation; two classes evidenced improved written argumentation performance after QT. Second, students who subsequently received writing transfer support scored statistically and practically significantly higher in written argumentation, compared to students not receiving the writing transfer support. Implications for research and practice are forwarded.

Authors

• Carla Marie Firetto, The Pennsylvania State University

• P. Karen Murphy, The Pennsylvania State University

• Jeff A. Greene, University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill

• Mengyi Li, The Pennsylvania State University - University Park

• Liwei Wei, The Pennsylvania State University - University Park

• Cristin Montalbano, University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill

• Brendan Hendrick

• Rachel Miriam Vriend Croninger, The Pennsylvania State University