Investigation of the effect of the use of argument mapsof primary school 4th grade students on criticalthinking skills

The purpose of this research, Instead of the traditional education process in Turkish lesson, create an educational process supported by argument maps, to examine the effect of argument maps on critical thinking skills of primary school 4th grade students. Argument maps are an argument representation in which argument elements and relationships are organized with the help of colored boxes and arrows. Argument maps, unlike other mapping tools, provide a certain systematic way to track the formation of the argument elements and the relationships between them (Davies, 2011). In the research, students should be trained as scientists or science discussers who think, question, create hypotheses, discuss with their teachers and peers, thanks to the argument map; Instead of teacher-centered lessons, it is ensured that the teacher and the student create a learning community together in natural settings. The research was carried out with 50 students who continued their education in the 4th grade of the school of a public school in the Birecik district of Şanlıurfa province in the first semester of the 2019-2020 academic year. As a result of the research, it was concluded that the argument maps used in the research had a positive effect on critical thinking skills, increased the students' interest in the subject, but the application of the argument map in the Turkish course did not significantly affect the success of this course. Purpose in the process of applying the argument map, it is not about bringing the acquisitions of Turkish lessons to the students but to refer students to thinking and questioning. Key Words: Argument Mappings, Argument, Critical Thinking, Primary School Students