# Predicting Specificity in Classroom Discussion

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/1909.01462 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/1909.01462/

## Key facts

- Cited by 2 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- First posted on arXiv 3 Sep 2019.

## Built on by (most cited first, 2 of 2)

- [ArgRewrite V.2: an Annotated Argumentative Revisions Corpus](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2206.01677/) (2022)
- [Sentence Specificity Scores for Collaborative Technical Documentation: A Domain-Transfer Study](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2610.01046/) (2026)

## Abstract (arXiv)

High quality classroom discussion is important to student development, enhancing abilities to express claims, reason about other students' claims, and retain information for longer periods of time. Previous small-scale studies have shown that one indicator of classroom discussion quality is specificity. In this paper we tackle the problem of predicting specificity for classroom discussions. We propose several methods and feature sets capable of outperforming the state of the art in specificity prediction. Additionally, we provide a set of meaningful, interpretable features that can be used to analyze classroom discussions at a pedagogical level.