logo

Strengthening Scientific Argumentation in Natural Sciences Through Experimental Guides and Virtual Simulators for Secondary School Students in Manizales

10.24050/reia.v23i45.1910
Published 2026-01-01
Articles

Abstract

This research aimed to contribute to the strengthening of argumentative skills in sixth-grade students at the Institución Educativa Nacional Auxiliares de Enfermería in the city of Manizales, through a home-based strategy designed around experimental activities and the use of virtual tools. Two instructional guides were developed, integrating simple hands-on experiments and a freely accessible virtual laboratory simulator, focusing on science topics such as DNA extraction and factors affecting plant growth and nutrition. The strategy was implemented following the Escuela Activa Urbana (EAU) methodological approach and was supported by Toulmin’s model of argumentation as the basis for structuring activities and evaluating students' argumentative progression. The intervention process included three phases: initial diagnosis, theoretical foundation and experimental work, and final application, combining in-person and virtual resources to foster active and meaningful learning. The results revealed significant progress in the use of structural elements of argumentation, including data, justification, and conclusions. Notably, the percentage of students operating at the weakest level of argumentation decreased from 94.1% to 73.5%, while those demonstrating stronger argumentative structures increased from 39.2% to 60.8%. These findings indicate that home-based experimental work, mediated by ICT and appropriate pedagogical strategies, effectively promotes the development of scientific competencies such as argumentation by enabling students to connect practical experiences with theoretical content in a meaningful, contextualized, and lasting way.

Keywords

Authors

References

Allchin, D.; Zemplén, G. Á. (2020). Finding the place of argumentation in science education: Epistemics and Whole Sci-ence. Science Education, 104(5), pp. 907–933. https://doi.org/10.1002/sce.21589

Andrieiev, A. M.; Tykhonska, N. I. (2020). Methods of development of experimental skills in students in the conditions of distance form of learning. Scientific Notes of Kherson State University, 90, pp. 22–27. https://doi.org/10.32999/KSU2413-1865/2020-90-4

Andryushechkin, S. M. (2024). Home experiment as a means of enhancing pupils’ cognitive activity in studying the comprehensive school physics course. Pedagogika. Voprosy Teorii i Praktiki. https://doi.org/10.30853/ped20240040

Antonio, R. P.; Prudente, M. S. (2021). Metacognitive Argument-Driven Inquiry in Teaching Antimicrobial Resistance: Effects on Students’ Conceptual Understanding and Argumentation Skills. Journal of Turkish Science Education, 18(2). https://doi.org/10.36681/tused.2021.60

Baník, I.; Pavlendová, G. (2019). Home experiments – A way to increase the interest of young people in physics, tech-nology and natural sciences. AIP Conference Proceedings, 2152, 030002. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.5124746

Ferguson, L. E.; Bubikova-Moan, J. (2019). Argumentation as a pathway to critical thinking. In Proceedings of the Ninth Conference of the International Society for the Study of Argumentation. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/332246917

Gapasin, L.; Manongsong, J.; Tukuran, A.; Rodriguez, L.; Alquizar, J.; Manial, N.; Amba, Z.; Balaños, J.; Mahinay, H. (2022). Home-Based Learning Interventions of Science Teachers in the Absence of Laboratory Experiments. Ameri-can Journal of Education and Technology, 1(2), pp. 95–98. https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v1i2.593

Guilfoyle, L.; Hillier, J.; Fancourt, N. (2023). Students’ argumentation in the contexts of science, religious education, and interdisciplinary science-religious education scenarios. Research in Science and Technological Education, 41(2). https://doi.org/10.1080/02635143.2021.1947223

Gülen, S.; Dönmez, İ. (2024). Valuating the effect of Toulmin Argumentation Model on critical thinking and epistemo-logical beliefs in online education. Journal of Educational Sciences, 50(2), pp. 140–158. https://doi.org/10.35923/JES.2024.2.09

Hendratmoko, A. F.; Madlazim, M.; Widodo, W.; Astutik, S. (2024). Debate Based on Inquiry Learning (DBOIL): An in-novative learning model to improve students’ skills in scientific argumentation. TEM Journal, 13(4), pp. 3295–3303. https://doi.org/10.18421/tem134-64

Hernández-Sampieri, R.; Torres, C. P. M. (2018). Metodología de la investigación, 4ª ed., México D.F., McGraw-Hill In-teramericana.

Kruit, P. M.; Bredeweg, B.; Nieuwelink, H. (2025). Enhancing students’ argumentation skills, content knowledge, and Nature of Science understanding through a web-based educational instrument in the context of socio-scientific is-sues. International Journal of Science Education, 47(6), pp. 749–768. https://doi.org/10.1080/09500693.2024.2348824

Kuki, A. D.; Agustini, R.; Azizah, U. (2023). Analysis of effectiveness Argument-Driven Inquiry to improve students’ argumentation skill and conceptual understanding. IJORER, 4(3), pp. 329–342. https://doi.org/10.46245/ijorer.v4i3.316

Lara, R. S.; Moreno, T.; De Fuentes, A. (2022). La argumentación escrita y la estrategia de escritura colaborativa en el currículum de educación superior. Revista Universidad y Sociedad, 14(4), pp. 521–530.

Larrain, A.; Singer, V.; Moran, C.; Sánchez, Á.; Silva, M.; Villavicencio, C.; Strasser, K.; Howe, C.; López, P.; Pinochet, J. (2021). Argumentation skills mediate the effect of peer argumentation on content knowledge in middle-school stu-dents. Journal of Educational Psychology, 113(4), pp. 736–753. https://doi.org/10.1037/edu0000619

Liu, C.-C.; Wen, C.-T.; Chang, H.-Y.; Chang, M.-H.; Lai, P.-H.; Fan, S.-H.; Yang, C.-W.; Hwang, F.-K. (2022). Augmenting the effect of virtual labs with teacher demonstration and student critique instructional designs to scaffold the de-velopment of scientific literacy. Instructional Science, 50(2), pp. 303–333. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11251-021-09571-4

Ma, N.; Guo, J.-H.; Sun, Y.-F. (2025). Evaluating scientific argumentation ability: A framework based on scientific argu-mentation maps. International Journal of Science Education, pp. 1–20. https://doi.org/10.1080/09500693.2025.2462796

Melta, D.; Razak, A.; Yohandri, Y. (2024). The impact of the Argument-Driven Inquiry instructional model on biodiversi-ty topics to enhance students’ argumentation skills. Bioedunis Journal, 3(1), pp. 73–86. https://doi.org/10.24952/bioedunis.v3i1.11217

Mukuka, A.; Tatira, B. (2025). Analysis of pre-service mathematics teachers’ proof comprehension through Toulmin’s argumentation model. Journal on Mathematics Education, 16(1), pp. 111–130. https://doi.org/10.22342/jme.v16i1.pp111-130

Muñoz-Campos, V.; Franco-Mariscal, A. J.; Blanco-López, Á. (2020). Integración de prácticas científicas de argumenta-ción, indagación y modelización en un contexto de la vida diaria. Revista Eureka sobre Enseñanza y Divulgación de las Ciencias, 17(3), 3201. https://doi.org/10.25267/rev_eureka_ensen_divulg_cienc.2020.v17.i3.3201

Muntholib, M.; Munadhiroh, A.; Setiawan, N.; Yahmin, Y. (2021). High school students’ scientific argumentation on chemical equilibrium. AIP Conference Proceedings, 2330, 020046. https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0043236

Моклюк, М.; Сільвейстр, А.; Моклюк, О. (2024). Домашній фізичний експеримент і можливості його проведення в сучасних умовах. Математика, Інформатика, Фізика: Наука та Освіта, 1(2), pp. 160–170. https://doi.org/10.31652/3041-1955/2024-01-02-07

Osborne, J. F.; Borko, H.; Fishman, E.; Gomez, F.; Berson, E.; Busch, K. C.; Reigh, E.; Tseng, A. (2019). Impacts of a prac-tice-based professional development program on elementary teachers’ facilitation of and student engagement with scientific argumentation. American Educational Research Journal, 56(4), pp. 1067–1112. https://doi.org/10.3102/0002831218812059

Pillaga-Guamán, L.; Garcia-Herrera, D. G.; Cárdenas-Cordero, N. M.; Erazo-Álvarez, J. C. (2020). Aprendizaje basado en problemas: una estrategia de enseñanza en la asignatura de Ciencias Naturales. Revista Arbitrada Interdisciplinaria Koinonía, 5(1). https://doi.org/10.35381/r.k.v5i1.787

Putra, P. D.; Ahmad, N.; Budiarso, A. S.; Indrawati. (2023). Development of argumentation tools based on the engineer-ing design process to improve students’ argumentation skills. New Educational Review, 71(1), pp. 114–125. https://doi.org/10.15804/tner.23.71.1.09

Rapanta, C. (2019). Argumentation as critically oriented pedagogical dialogue. Informal Logic, 39(1). https://doi.org/10.22329/il.v39i1.5116

Riyanti, V.; Hamdiyati, Y.; Purwianingsih, W. (2023). The effect of Argument-Driven Inquiry on argumentation skills and students’ concept mastering of human excretory system materials. Journal of Science Learning, 6(2), pp. 125–135. https://doi.org/10.17509/jsl.v6i2.54634

Sellberg, C.; Nazari, Z.; Solberg, M. (2024). Virtual laboratories in STEM higher education: A scoping review. Nordic Journal of Systematic Reviews in Education, 2(1). https://doi.org/10.23865/njsre.v2.5766

Su, G.; Sun, J.; Long, T.; Chen, W.; Mei, A. (2025). Applying Argumentation-Driven Inquiry to promote students’ argu-mentation performance in blended synchronous learning environment. Journal of Science Education and Technolo-gy, 34(2), pp. 346–366. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10956-024-10190-0

Sypsas, A.; Paxinou, E.; Zafeiropoulos, V.; Kalles, D. (2024). Virtual laboratories in STEM education: A focus on Onlabs, a 3D virtual reality biology laboratory. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, 1135, pp. 323–337. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-70771-1_16

Toulmin, S. E. (2003). The uses of argument: Updated edition. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511840005

Utami, S.; Haryanto, H.; Subagyo, A. (2024). The development of electronic students’ worksheets (E-LKPD) based on Argument-Driven Inquiry learning model to improve scientific argumentation skills. Integrated Science Education Journal, 5(2), pp. 65–73. https://doi.org/10.37251/isej.v5i2.810

Villanueva, R.; Prieto, J. (2021). La enseñanza de la argumentación escrita en ciencias naturales a partir del uso de ruti-nas de pensamiento. Infancia, Educación y Aprendizaje, 7(1), pp. 189–208. https://doi.org/10.22370/ieya.2021.7.1.2000

Walker, J. P.; Van, A. G.; Lower, M. A. (2019). Facilitating argumentation in the laboratory: The challenges of claim change and justification by theory. Journal of Chemical Education, 96(3), pp. 435–444. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jchemed.8b00745

Statistics

Abstract
0
PDF accesses
0

Dimensions

PlumX

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.