The Skill of Identifying Argumentation

Abstract

This article is a report on empirical research in which two main questions were posed: (1) Can 14-year-old school children in secondary schools recognize argumentation without having received systematic instruction? (2) To what extent is the identification of argumentation an independent skill? The practical relevance of the first question is self-evident. The epistemological relevance of the second question is that it seeks to provide an answer to the question of whether or not the identification of argumentation is based on the traditionally known cognitive intellectual skills “Verbal Comprehension,” “Inductive Reasoning,” et cetera. Otherwise, it must be a separate skill.