Curricular progressions for learning about —and through— oral argumentation in compulsory secondary education

Results of an investigation on progressions prescribed through a curriculum for the learning of oral argumentation in compulsory secondary education in Catalonia (ESO) are presented. The objective of the study is to assess the type and quality of the resources provided in the language curriculum to promote oral argumentation learning aims that students will have to master at the end of ESO. The results indicate that, although the Catalan curriculum offers more and better progressions than the Spanish framework on which it is based, in both there are gaps and ruptures in the passage from the first to the second cycle of ESO, as well as ambiguities and theoretical inaccuracies between the contents on oral argumentation that serve as an object and as a means of learning in this school stage.