Argumentative text comprehension in children

The present study aims to investigate children's ability to comprehend argumentative texts based on the analysis of different types of inferences: causal inferences, state inferences, and inferences of prediction. Children (aged 8 and 9 years old) were individually asked to read an argumentative text that was divided into five parts. Immediately after reading each part the children were asked inferential questions about the text, and questions which required an explanation, i.e. in which the child had to justify the answers given. The data were analysed according to the number of correct responses, and according to a qualitative analysis of the nature of the difficulties identified. It was observed that children in both age groups had no difficulties with causal inferences. It was also noticed that the 8-year-old children had difficulties with the inferences of prediction.