The Art of Argumentation: A Sociolinguistic Approach to Developing Thesis Statements (The Case of Kosova High School Students)

Year 2017, , 271 - 286, 25.09.2017

Donika Elezkurtaj Bërveniku

https://doi.org/10.32601/ejal.461018

Abstract

Living in a world of globalization, communication of various forms has become crucial. Should it be of a
colloquial or formal use, language plays a vital role in our lives. As in every other area, communication is
the “lifeblood” of academia as well (Becher & Trowler, 2001). Academia cannot be separated from its
discourse and could not exist without it. Therefore, argumentative discourse is of an essential nature to
both scholars and students. This sociolinguistically oriented research study reports on Kosovan, high
school students‟ problems in the process of argument building and the effectiveness of class activities
that promote critical thinking and argumentation. Aiming for original and reliable results, corpus
linguistics has been chosen as a means of collecting naturally occurring source corpora. The data
obtained from two observed debates, 40 essay evaluations and a focus group, reveal that students are not
aware of certain linguistic patterns present in spoken and/or written argumentation and that they do not
feel comfortable when required to take a decision that demands systematic evaluation of their thinking
in search for new answers. It is obvious from the study that in order for students to create warranted
arguments, which is an inevitable skill in academia, Inquiry-based Learning should be integrated across
the educational system in Kosova. The results have implications for syllabus and course materials. 

Keywords

Argumentation, critical thinking, sociolinguistics, corpus, syllabus

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