Argumentation of Preservice Elementary Science Teachers on Breastfeeding in Public Places Using the Kialo Online Debate Platform

This chapter presents the debate on socio-scientific issues aimed at developing the scientific argumentation of preservice elementary science teachers as one of the dimensions of critical thinking outlined in the ENCIC-CT model. The online platform Kialo was used to discuss the controversy of human breastfeeding in public places. The participants were 62 preservice teachers applying for the Degree in Primary Education at the University of Malaga (Malaga, Spain) during the 2019–2020 academic year. The learning experience addressed the construction and critique of arguments by evaluating them and exercising counter-argumentation and refutation. The findings showed that arguments related to health and human nutrition received the most counterarguments and refutations. The preservice elementary science teachers rated the Kialo tool as novel, interesting, engaging, dynamic for argumentation, and useful for their future teaching.