High School Students' Ability To Demonstrate Their Ability To Demonstrate In Social Science Issues

Argumentation is not only a process which emphasizes scientific explanation and reasoning, but also a process of promoting critical thinking. Developing the students'ability of argumentation is the demands of the information age as well as the mainstream trend of international science education .This study investigates the argumentation ability of senior high school students in three level schools on the topic "genetically modified organisms" by questionnaires,which is a kind of socio-scientific issue. (1) On the whole , from the statistics and analysis, we can see that a complete argumentation process can not be performed by majority in the sample schools. And four sub argumentation abilities, from strong to weak,are putting forward an argument,bringing up a counter argument,suggesting supporting reasons, providing an evidence. (2) We can find some other things when viewed against three schools. No matter in total argumentation capacity or sub argumentation capacities, the average score of the students in A, B, C level schools decreases in succession. There is a significant difference in the argumentation ability within three level schools(P<0.05). In putting forward an argument and supporting reasons,students from A level school have a significant difference compared with B level school and C level school (P<0.05), but is was no significant difference between B level school and C level school (P> 0.05). In bringing up a counter argument and providing an evidence, students from C level school have a significant difference compared with B level school and A level school (P<0.05), but there is no significant difference between B level school and A level school (P> 0.05). From the point of argument diversity, the arguments from students in A, B, C level schools in support stand have less diversity, mostly considering from society, and remains no significant difference (P> 0.05). But, there is a significant difference in opposite stand (P<0.05)because the arguments of the students in A level school have more diversity. From the view of the counter argument diversity, all counter arguments from students in A, B, C level schools in two stands have less diverdity, mostly considering from society, and remains no significant difference(P> 0.05). From the perspective of providing an evidence, a majority of students in A, B, C level schools cannot put forward a reasonable evidence and most evidence are informal. Judging from the strategy selection on suggesting supporting reasons, there is no significant difference in support stand within three level schools(P>0.05) and most choices are refutation.However, three level schools have a significant difference in opposite stand (P<0.05),resulting in the scale of the choices of refutation and presenting a new reason. In conclusion, the argumentation ability of senior high school students still to be greatly inproved in socio-scientific issue.