ISSN 1017-2548(Print)
ISSN 2234-8530(Online)
Volume 59, Number 1
JKCSEZ 59(1)
February 20, 2015 

The purpose of this study was to investigate the argumentation of middle school students during the argumentbased inquiry. A total of sixty eight 8th grade middle school students participated in this study and they performed six argument- based inquiry programs. Data were collected from two of the latest programs by audio-recording and transcription of each group engaging in argumentation. The study findings showed that; first, the most frequent element of argumentation in the all of stages of the two programs was following order: ‘claim’ and ‘request and response’ and ‘simple agreement’. The most active argumentation was showed at the designing experiments stage and the most inactive was showed at the generating questions stage. Second, as a result of analyzing the argumentation level for each stage of the argument-based inquiry, a high level of argumentation was shown at the claim and evidence stage, and a low level of argumentation was shown at the generating questions stage in the argumentation structure. As a result of the validity of argumentation, the validity of argumentation was the highest level in the claim and evidence stage.