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Undergraduates Arguing A Case, Susheela A. Varghese, Sunita A. Abraham
Undergraduates Arguing A Case, Susheela A. Varghese, Sunita A. Abraham
Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business
This essay describes an instructional study in which students were trained in two key aspects of argumentation, namely, the structural and interpersonal components. The structural aspects were taught and measured in terms of Toulmin's (1958) framework of argument analysis (i.e., the quality of claims, grounds and warrants used). The interpersonal aspects in turn were measured in terms of the creation of a clear persona, audience adaptiveness (the appropriate use of rational and emotional appeals), and stance towards the unique discourse of argumentation. Students performed a pre-instruction writing task, underwent eight weeks of explicit instruction in argumentation, then performed the task …
Refocusing On Qualitative Methods: Problems And Prospects For Research In A Specific Asian Context, Lily Kong
Refocusing On Qualitative Methods: Problems And Prospects For Research In A Specific Asian Context, Lily Kong
Research Collection School of Social Sciences
A recent issue of Area (1996, Volume 28.2) devoted space to six papers on focus groups, attesting to their increasing importance as a means of obtaining qualitative data. The papers provided interesting insights into the use of focus groups in specific research and cultural contexts, and raised three main issues in my mind. The first is a continuing misunderstanding as to the nature of knowledge, which surfaces in discussions of, and approaches to, the use of qualitative methods such as focus groups. The second is the range of related techniques that are actually involved in the qualitative method, known as …