Instructional methods intended to reduce my-side bias in writing arguments: Case study of a second-grade writing class

Abstract

The purposes of the present study were to (a) clarify difficulties in reducing my-side bias, and (b) provide new teaching methods intended to reduce my-side bias when writing arguments. A class of second-graders (N=32) was given 5 lessons in writing arguments. The results confirmed that there are 2 types of difficulties in reducing my-side bias: (a) "omission of reasons", in which the children denied counterarguments without explaining why, and (b) "neglecting correspondence", in which the reasons for rebuttals did not correspond to the target counterarguments. However, in the evaluation tasks, the children rated higher those written arguments that included assuming counterarguments and corresponding rebuttals than written arguments without those characteristics. In other words, the children understood what "well written form" was, but did not generate that form. It was hypothesized that this may be why children have difficulty in reducing my-side bias, and the children in the present study were instructed to visualize their internalized "well written form". After that, the children constructed "well written forms" collaboratively with their teacher, and also independently generated written arguments with reduced my-side bias.