Developing an Argument

Lecturers and tutors regard students' development of an argument in essays or assignments as essential. Very frequently, teachers find lack of an argument, or an undeveloped argument, to be an issue in their students' writing.

But lecturers often find it hard to define exactly what "argument" means in their discipline. This difficulty is compounded because the word "argument" can be used to refer both to making a specific claim that is supported by evidence, and to the extended argument of an entire essay; interpretations will vary depending on discipline.

It's important for you as a teacher to clarify what you expect from student assignments. Be clear in your own mind, and make your expectations very clear to your students.

See also the table on the Developing academic style page.

Help students develop an argument

Identify potential arguments within an assessment task

For example, in class you could ask the students to discuss the assignment topic in groups and identify potential points of view, conflicting theories or possible solutions to problems.

Use explicit instruction words

Make sure that your instructions for assessment tasks contain explicit instruction words that indicate what students should do, e.g. discuss, compare and contrast, do you agree?, evaluate, justify, give reasons.

Sample questions containing explicit instruction words:

• "The ideal of human rights is not universal. Discuss."
• "Compare and contrast the development of ethics in medicine and the development and use of antibiotics. Are they equally important?"
• "Indigenous Australians experience lower levels of access to health services than the general population. List and discuss the factors determining access."
• "Why did the ideas of Martin Luther cause such an upheaval in 16th century Europe? Would there have been a Reformation without him? How would you measure the success of the Lutheran Reformation? Give reasons for your view."
• "To what extent did the subcultural research project demonstrate that youth cultures were 'counter-hegemonic'?"; "What traits distinguish Buddhism, Confucianism, and Taoism from each another? Has society influenced these religions or have these religions influenced society?"

Source: The Learning Centre Online Resources: Answering Assignment Questions

Use the Guess what! Prove it! So what? model

This model encourages students to think about ideas as propositions rather than as immutable facts. The "guess what" part of the model is the proposition (or contention, or thesis statement) of the argument:  it's what the student is asserting to be true.  The student then "proves it" by gathering and presenting evidence in a logical sequence to support the thesis statement.  The student then considers the relevance of the argument:  once the student proves the thesis statement, why does it matter?  How does this now-proven thesis statement contribute to a better understanding of the topic?  How might it affect the decisions of relevant stakeholders?  Does it highlight possibilities for future research?

Have your students evaluate arguments

It is useful for students to see argument "in action" within an assignment. Present good and bad models of argument assignments to the class and ask the students to evaluate them. For example, present a descriptive and an argumentative paragraph to the class and ask students to identify the argument in each, then discuss why the descriptive paragraph is inadequate in this context.

Sample descriptive and argumentative paragraphs

(Source: Student Learning Unit, UWS, Unistep: Academic skills guide, 220.)

Paragraph A is a collection of unanalysed quotations about reflection; paragraph B uses sources to support a claim about the importance of reflection.

A. "According to Mezirow (1990, p. 5), reflection 'is generally used as a synonym for higher-order mental processes'. Reflection is the process of 'turning thought back on action' (Schon, 1983, p. 50). Through reflection teachers 'can surface and criticise the tacit understandings that have grown up around the repetitive experience of a specialised practice' (Schon, 1983, p. 61)."

B. "Reflection is a distinguishing feature of critical thinking about teaching [claim]. Although reflection is sometimes associated with 'higher order mental processes' (Mezirow, 1990, p. 5) [quotation], it might be more useful to emphasise its relationship to action [contrasted with following quotation]. For Schon (1983), reflection is the process of 'turning thought back on action' (p. 50) [quotation]. Without reflection, our teaching practice can stagnate. Reflective teachers, however, can 'surface and criticise the tacit understandings' (Schon, 1983, p. 61) that tend to make teaching routine and repetitive. These tacit understandings might include beliefs about what students are capable of learning and assumptions about how students learn. Thus, reflection looks forward as well as backward. It is oriented to practicality and change, not to undirected mental activity [quotation explained and contextualised]."

Encourage students to carefully evaluate the sources of their evidence

Students, particularly those who are transitioning into tertiary study, may not yet have a clear idea of how to determine which sources are reliable.  Give them examples of reliable and unreliable sources, and explain why they should or shouldn't use them.  This is also an opportunity to talk about the importance of clear and comprehensive citation of both quoted and paraphrased sources as a component of academic integrity.