Resources Shaping Science Teachers’ Design and Implementation of Scientific Argumentation Instruction: A Systematic Review

Scientific argumentation is a core scientific practice recognized by multiple national science standards, yet many science teachers experience challenges integrating it into their classrooms. This systematic review examined the resources identified by research as shaping teachers’ argumentation instruction and how these resources were reported to support teachers’ classroom practice. Guided by an adapted version of the Pedagogical Design Capacity Framework, we analyzed 79 empirical studies published between 1983 and 2025. Resources were categorized as personal, instructional, or contextual, and their specific supportive aspects were grouped according to their reported contributions. Personal resources included teachers’ beliefs, knowledge of argumentation, and pedagogical content knowledge for argumentation. Instructional resources comprised curriculum materials, professional development programs, and technological tools. Contextual resources (factors) including classroom culture, school administration, and policy environments mediated teachers’ uptake of instructional resources. These resources operated collectively rather than in isolation. This review indicated a tension regarding explicit argumentation instruction: although it can establish shared repertoires at the beginning, excessive emphasis on structural understandings may divert students’ attention from the epistemic purposes of argumentation. These findings highlight the need for coordinated and context-responsive supports that help teachers understand how, when, and why particular instructional approaches can foster students’ epistemic engagement in argumentation practice.