READING, ANNOTATION AND PRODUCTION OF AN ARGUMENTATIVE TEXT WRITTEN BY HIGHER EDUCATION STUDENTS IN A BLENDED-LEARNING SITUATION

Argumentation has been acknowledged as increasingly important for both academic writingand on-line communication. This study combines some of the main results and conclusions oftwo different, yet complementary, research studies. Here, we aim at illustrating the contribution ofthe use of a platform (SCALE) conceived for the development of argumentative skills for HigherEducation students in argumentative and negotiation on-line interactions and as well as written productions(opinion articles and taking notes). For the compilation and discussion of the results, weanalyzed the students’ on-line argumentative diagrams and interactions, as well as their individualwritten productions. We also analyzed the questionnaires they answered before and after the experiment,regarding their attitudes towards Information Communication Technologies (ICT), reading,annotation and writing texts, including argumentative texts. Results suggest differences related to thetype of interaction in free versus structured chats. The interactions are richer and more profound inthe free chats. The annotation and the graphic representation of argumentative maps, in diagrams,seem to provide evidence of the students’ learning, especially as far as the argumentative structure isconcerned. Also, students’ performance was more productive in the on-line environments in comparisonwith the off-line situations