Professor beliefs regarding the teaching of argumentation in undergraduate education

Abstract

The aim of the present research study is to describe professor beliefs and their role in the teaching of argumentative skills in higher education. An explorative-descriptive study with a qualitative approach is performed. The population surveyed is composed of 16 professors that taught the first two years of philosophy and law undergraduate degrees at a private Chilean university in 2019. Interviews are performed with thematic analysis. The results show high agreement between professors in their beliefs: argumentation is valued as a key competence, but it is suggested that argumentation should be taught once knowledge of the discipline is acquired. Although professors report to promote argumentative practices in their teachings, they do not do it to develop argumentative skills. Learning evaluations implies knowing how to argue, but no assessment argumentation guidelines are provided. It is concluded that surveyed philosophy and law professors do not differ radically in their beliefs about the value of argumentation in professional practice.