Writing to argue: Writing as a tool for oral and written argumentation.

This exploratory study aimed at investigating the relationship between writing strategies and the quality of oral and written argumentation in 124 high-school students. Half participants attended a series of workshops on writing to argue led by a researcher, while the other students were involved by their teachers in regular classroom activities. In order to analyze students’ abilities in argumentative speaking and writing, they were all asked to participate in a debate, as well as to write an argumentative essay, during pre- and post-intervention sessions. Moreover, participants’ previous knowledge about the topic, their stance toward the issue, their reasoning skills and their beliefs and experiences about argumentation and writing were also collected through five questionnaires and subsequently analyzed. Findings and empirical implications will be discussed.