Abstract:

The main purpose of the study is to investigate Emirati university students’ epistemological understanding of argumentative discourse. Following Kuhn, Wang, and Li (2011), two scenarios were designed to elicit 37 Emirati university students’ open-ended responses, both of which a difference of opinions among students is identified. The first scenario presents a situation in which an opportunity for discussion exists, but there is no necessity to uptake it. The second scenario involves a situation in which it is necessary to engage in discussion to complete a task. It is interesting to observe the students’ general tendency to evade the real argumentative discourse either by avoiding discussing a controversial issue to maintain a friendship or by resorting to authority. It seems that the students fail to appreciate the real purpose of argumentation which is to appreciate different views and weigh them to have an enhanced understanding of a controversial issue. This study is among the first few to examine Emirati university students’ epistemological understanding of argumentative discourse. Argumentation contributes to developing young Emiratis’ critical thinking skills which are of vital importance to a multicultural society as in the UAE and the ever-changing world. This implies that students should be explicitly taught to appreciate the evaluativist value of argumentation which is to examine different opinions and evaluate them with various evidence and then achieve their own conclusion. This is the prerequisite for enhancing effective argumentative instruction, as students’ understanding of practice naturally shapes their engagement in it and its outcome.

Keywords:

Argumentation, Epistemological understanding, Arabic-speaking EFL university students, Critical thinking, United Arab Emirates.