Benefits of Argument Mapping

Research

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Other benefits of argument mapping

• Better essay writing (Cullen et al. 2018; Robillos 2021)
• “[M]ore deliberate and fair-minded approaches to understanding” contentious issues and interpersonal
• challenges (Kaepel 2021)
• Better recall of course content (Eftekhari & Sotoudehnama 2018)
• Better scientific reasoning (Murungi & Hirschheim 2022)
• Better mathematical reasoning (Indrawatiningsih et al. 2020)
• Higher LSAT logical reasoning scores (Cullen 2018)
• Effects on critical thinking are particularly pronounced amongst low-achieving students (Harrell 2011)

Critical thinking skills are associated with:

• Better life decisions (avoiding bankruptcy, getting flu shots, etc.) (Butler et al 2017)
• More democratic attitudes (Aslan 2018)
• Less belief in conspiracy theories (Lantian et al 2021; Swami et al 2014)
• Greater ability to identify fake news (Machete & Turpin 2020)

Why is argument mapping so effective? Some hypotheses:

• It involves dual visual-propositional modalities, which allows more mental processing to be devoted to understanding logical relationships (Dwyer et al 2012)
• The use of Gestalt grouping principles improves understanding and processing (Dwyer et al 2012)
• Hierarchical ordering helps content enter into, and stay in, memory (Dwyer et al 2012)
• Argument mapping is particularly amenable to scaffolding

Works Cited

Abrami et. al (2015). “Strategies for Teaching Students to Think Critically: A Meta-Analysis”, Review of Educational Research, 85(2): 275-314.

Aslan, S. (2018). The Relationship between Critical Thinking Skills and Democratic Attitudes of 4th Class Primary School Students. International Journal of Progressive Education, 14(6), 62-69.

Butler, Heather A, Pentoney, Christopher, and Bong, Mabelle P. “Predicting real-world outcomes: Critical thinking ability is a better predictor of life decisions than intelligence.” Thinking Skills and Creativity 25 (2017): 38-46

Cullen, S., Fan, J., van der Brugge, E. et al. Improving analytical reasoning and argument understanding: a quasi-experimental field study of argument visualization. npj Science Learn 3, 21 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41539-018-0038-5

Dwyer, Christopher P, Michael J Hogan, and Ian Stewart. "An evaluation of argument mapping as a method of enhancing critical thinking performance in e-learning environments." Metacognition Learning 7 (2012): 219-44.

Eftekhari, M., & Sotoudehnama, E. (2018, September). Effectiveness of Computer-Assisted Argument Mapping for Comprehension, Recall, and Retention. ReCALL, 40(3), 337-354. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0958344017000337

Harrell, M. (2011) Argument Diagramming and Critical Thinking in Introductory Philosophy. Higher Education Research and Development, 30(3): 371-385.

Huber and Kuncel (2016). “Does College Teach Critical Thinking? An Analysis”, Review of Educational Research, 86(2): 431-68.

Indrawatiningsih, N., Purwanto, P., As’ari, A. R., Sa’dijah, C. (2020) Argument Mapping to Improve Student’s Mathematical Argumentation Skills. TEM Journal. 9(3): 1208‐1212

Kaeppel, K. (2021, June). The Influence of Collaborative Argument Mapping on College Students' Critical Thinking About Contentious Arguments. Thinking Skills and Creativity, 40.

Lantian, A., Bagneux, V., Delouvée, S., & Gauvrit, N. (2021). Maybe a Free Thinker but not a Critical One: High Conspiracy Belief is Associated with Low Critical Thinking Ability. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 35(3), 674-84. https://doi.org/10.1002/acp.3790

Machete, P., & Turpin, M. (2020, April). The Use of Critical Thinking to Identify Fake News: A Systematic Literature Review (M. Hattingh, M. Matthee, H. Smuts, I. Pappas, Y.K. Dwivedi, & M. Mantymaki, Eds.). I3E 2020: Responsible Implementation and Use of Information and Communication Technology, 12067, 235-246. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-45002-1_20

Murungi, D., & Hirschheim, R. (2022). Theory Through Argument: Applying Argument Mapping to Facilitate Theory Building. European Journal of Information Systems, 31(4), 437-462. doi.org/10.1080/0960085X.2020.1868952

Robillos, R. J. (2021). Learners' Writing Skill and Self-Regulation of Learning Awareness Using Computer-Assisted Argument Mapping (CAAM). Teaching English with Technology, 21(4), 76-93.

Swami, V., Voracek, M., Stieger, S., Tran, U. S., Furnham, A. (2014). Analytic Thinking Reduces Belief in Conspiracy Theories. Cognition, 133, 572-585

Van Gelder (2015). “Using Argument Mapping to Improve Critical Thinking Skills”, in Davies and Barnett, The Palgrave Handbook of Critical Thinking in Higher Education. New York: Palgrave-Macmillan, 183-92.

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