Current literature suggests the need for research on teacher and peer leader professional development on group monitoring and intervention strategies. This study examined the peer leaders’ use of the Toulmin’s argumentation framework and verbal behaviors to reflect on peer leading in a general chemistry cooperative learning environment. A writing assignment given in the peer leader training course as an effort for the peer leaders to develop skills in characterizing arguments in the student group settings was used for the data analysis.  The themes that emerged from the peer leaders’ writing assignments suggest important strategies that helped the peer leaders to identify whether students are presenting scientific evidence and explanations when solving general chemistry problems.  The study also found significant peer leader reflections on group interventions that were successful and future suggestions for improvement. The findings from this study have implications for curriculum development of teacher training courses at all levels especially for signifying the interplay between student discourse and group intervention in cooperative learning settings.

Using the Toulmin’s argumentation framework for the professional development of peer leaders in general chemistry

251st National Meeting (2016)

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