Normally we would think of an argument in a paper as consisting with the evidence for a proposition, a background theory or model that makes the evidence relevant, and the conclusion to be drawn. In philosophical argumentation, however, it is typical to consider as well a range of possible objections and formulate responses. Additionally, in scientific writing, the strength or plausibility of the inference is assessed. Students are weaker in these two latter aspects, even when taught how to argue, so to scaffold their learning a framework, such as Toulmin's Method, is applied. This paper reports on a study of two classes (n = 81) from a university in Tianjin, China, testing the application of the method in that context. Based on the study, "the teaching method based on Toulmin model can play a more comprehensive role in improving the quality of argumentative writing."
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