Promoting Epistemic Growth with Respect to Sustainable Development Issues through Computer-Supported Argumentation

Abstract

Epistemic growth is a desirable outcome of engaging in argumentation related to sustainable development issues. However, earlier studies have rarely been conducted from the perspective of practical epistemology. This longitudinal study aimed to address this gap and to promote epistemic growth in sustainable development issues via computer-supported argumentation through a practice-based approach, using the Apt-AIR framework. The participants were 96 undergraduate students with various majors. Repeated measures of the frequency and epistemic quality of students’ argumentation comments were taken with respect to six consecutive sustainable development issues to explicate the participants’ epistemic growth. The qualitative data of a specific undergraduate provided procedural evidence confirming a change in the epistemic performance and the epistemic growth curves. The results supported an argumentation-based intervention in education with respect to sustainable development issues and highlighted the possibility that the different aspects of epistemic performance are interrelated.