Rhetoric Situation of Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) in Social Media and its Impact on Pedagogy

The current study aimed to explore the rhetoric situation of novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in social media. In this study, the researcher uses the rhetoric situation theory of Bitzer and Toulmin model of argumentation as a theoretical framework. The secondary data were obtained from social media (i.e., Twitter and Facebook from 15th March 2020 to 31st March 2020). Therefore, all the data were based on the current issue of COVID-19. The qualitative approach is used in this study. The findings revealed rhetoric situation led to the construction of the rhetoric message produced in social media. The rhetoric message was the subject of conversation in social media regarding COVID-19, which is produced intentionally to persuade others. Social media is responsible for the rhetorical situation today. However, rhetoric of the current situation in the pandemic COVID-19 cannot be ignored, the role of rhetorical arguments in the digital era, or better known as the digital rhetoric.

A study on the effectiveness of a teaching based on socio-scientific issues in the training of pre-service teachers

In this study, two different learning approaches (the Toulmin model of argumentation and whole class discussion technique) to the training of primary school teachers in Turkey were tested over socio-scientific issues. On the one hand, we identified how prospective teachers experienced a change of mind on these issues before and after the training, and on the other hand, we analysed the changes on their argumentation and attitudes. In this research model, the distribution of participants is in 53 experimental groups and 52 control groups, and the group equivalence transactions are done. The study was used three different measurement tools, such as attitudes towards socio-scientific Issues Scale, argumentation test and the Teacher Efficacy Scale. The study included teaching processes based on socio-scientific issues (SSI) for 5 weeks each. Furthermore, the indecisiveness participants displayed in socio-scientific issues completely disappeared in the teaching group following the Toulmin model, and each member of this group made a definite decision on the issues covered. Keywords: Socio-scientific issues, teacher candidates, argumentation model.