Search

Two hypotheses regarding the relationship between scientific reasoning skills and the use of the inquiry method of instruction in college biology labs were examined. The first hypothesis was that scientific reasoning skills influence an instructor's ability to teach biology using inquiry. The second hypothesis was that the effectiveness with which an instructor uses inquiry affects the pedagogical outcome of a lesson. To test the first hypothesis, 9 instructors teaching 702 students in an introductory biology course for nonmajors were evaluated for their scientific reasoning skills and understanding of the nature of science. Data were also collected on instructors' prior exposure to inquiry, educational level, teaching experience, subject knowledge, and verbal, quantitative, and analytical reasoning skills. An instrument was used to quantify the effectiveness with which instructors use inquiry as an instructional technique. As expected, performance on tests of scientific reasoning and analytical reasoning skills were predictors of effective inquiry use. To test the second hypothesis on the relationship between the effective use of inquiry and pedagogical outcome, data on students' scientific reasoning skills, understanding of the nature of science, subject knowledge, and overall satisfaction with the instructor were gathered. As expected, students of instructors who used inquiry more effectively experienced greater normalized gains in scientific reasoning than students of instructors who used inquiry less effectively. A negative correlation between instructor inquiry use and student understanding of the nature of science was identified. No other student variables were significantly influenced by effectiveness of inquiry use. Seven appendixes contain student surveys and sample assessment items. (Contains 7 figures, 2 tables, and 51 references.) (Author/SLD)

Research indicates that the effectiveness of instruction in the elementary classroom is enhanced when it incorporates materials that actively engage students in the generation of scientific explanations. To this end, this document describes an exercise that allows Kindergarten students to explore the basic principles of animal behavior in an interesting and fun way. As part of the activity, students explore the characteristics of terrarium animals, and create and test ideas (alternative hypotheses) about environmental factors that the animals prefer. Along the way, the teacher has an opportunity to introduce several principles of animal behavior, and students have an opportunity to apply them to explain their observations. This lesson is one of a collection of twenty learning cycle-based lessons developed for the Phoenix Urban Systemic Initiative. (Contains 13 references.) (Author/ASK)

The study investigated the role of analogic instruction and reasoning level on the dependent measure of concept acquisition in an introductory college genetics course. The question of whether concept acquisition was facilitated through the use of instructional analogies was addressed. The control treatment consisted of expository instruction alone while the experimental treatment included instructional analogies. All students were given the same pretest measures of reasoning (the Classroom Test of Scientific Reasoning) and prior genetics knowledge. The effect of analogy-based instruction on immediate (weekly quiz) as well as delayed (end of semester) achievement was investigated. The role of analogic instruction on student attitude was also evaluated. Significant gains in student achievement were found with instructional analogy. The attitude survey indicated that a majority of students who received instructional analogies believed analogy-based instruction was beneficial. Instructional analogies, pretest of prior genetics knowledge, sample quiz items, and student attitude surveys are included. Contains 50 references. (Author/JRH)

This study was based on the following assumptions: (1) functioning of the brain's left hemisphere, because of its logical, verbal mode, facilitates conservation reasoning; (2) functioning of the brain's right hemisphere, because of its nonverbal, spatial mode, inhibits conservation reasoning; (3) visual input from the left eye will reach the left visual cortex before it reaches the right visual cortex, thereby giving the left hemisphere priority and vice versa; and (4) eye dominance is caused by hemisphere dominance. In order to test the validity of these assumptions, a series of conservation tasks (number, substance, continuous quantity and weight) were administered to a group of 82 children. The following predictions were made: A group of children who view the conservation materials with their left eye and are left eye dominant (LL) will demonstrate a greater frequency of conservation responses than a group of children who view the materials with their right eye and are right eye dominant (RR). A group of children who view with their left eye and are right eye dominant (LR) and a group of children who view with their right eye and are left eye dominant (RL), will demonstrate an intermediate frequency of conservation responses. The predicted sequence of LL.gt.LR approximately equal to RL>RR was found. LL and RR group differences were significant (z = 2.01, p = .02). (Author/MS)

The purpose of this investigation was to classify a sample of high school biology students into concrete and formal operational levels using three separate instruments: (1) a battery of Piagetian tasks (the pendulum, bending rods, and the balance beam); (2) a written biology examination consisting of questions requiring concrete and formal operations; and (3) a subject-free examination also consisting of questions requiring concrete and formal reasoning. Using the obtained data, the authors' purpose was to determine if the logical operations under question were closely tied to specific content. Sixty-eight high school students (32 males and 36 females) enrolled in a biology course at Delphi High School in Delphi, Indiana served as subjects. The subjects did not perform more formally on the subject matter free Longeot examination and on the biology examination than on the Piagetian tasks. It was concluded that Piagetian tasks are relatively content free and can serve as realistic indicators of concrete and formal thinking abilities. (Author/DS)

An attempt to train concrete operational fifth-grade students (N=32) and seventh-grade students (N=32) to perform at the formal operational level on tasks demanding the control of variables are reported. The training was conducted in four individual sessions of approximately 30 minutes each. The training sessions were designed to represent a synthesis of ideas concerning the mechanisms of development put forth by Piaget, Ausubel, Bruner, and C. Lawson. The training was successful (p < .001) and specific transfer of the trained concept was obtained for both samples. Pretest level of intellectual development was significantly related to success on posttest tasks of specific transfer (p < .10). On one posttest task designed to measure nonspecific transfer, the trained seventh-grade subjects scored significantly higher (p < .05) than the control subjects. The effectiveness of the training suggests that properly designed instruction, which is based on students' intuitive conceptual understanding at the concrete level, can raise this intuitive understanding to the level of a meaningful verbal rule which then can be successfully applied in a variety of problem situations. (Author)

Some evidence supports the hypothesis that formal operational reasoning ability (at least that measured by Piagetian tasks) is a unified process. The purpose of this research was to determine: (1) if conservation tasks, such as conservation of number, liquid amount, weight and volume, are unifactor; and (2) if conservation tasks form a scale of early concrete to early formal reasoning ability, would analysis yield two principal components - a concrete component and a formal component. Ten Piagetian tasks were administered to 96 seventh-grade urban science students. The factor structure of the tasks was determined using principal components analysis. The analysis did reveal two components. One component was identified as an early concrete operational component. The other component was identified as an early formal operational component. The results were consistent with Piaget's theoretical discussions about what the tasks measure and represent a factorial validation of the tasks. This indicates that the tasks can be used in a meaningful manner to measure concrete and formal operational thought. (Author/DC)

Eighty-two children (ages 4.4 to 6.5 years) were administered a Backward Digit Span test to measure M-space and four conservation tasks (number, substance, continuous quantity, and weight). Based upon a neo-Piagetian theory of intellectual development proposed by Pascual-Leone (1969), two hypotheses were tested: (1) A significant relation should exist between a child's M-space and his/her ability to conserve; (2) Children should not conserve when the number of "figurative schemes" required to solve the task exceeds their M-space. Significant correlations were found among M-space and number, substance, and continuous quantity tasks. As predicted, none of 11 children with M-spaces of e + 1 demonstrated conservation. Contrary to theoretical predictions, a substantial number of children with M-spaces of e + 2 conserved all four quantities. It is argued that it may be possible to retain the idea of M-space as a constraint on reasoning ability if theoretical statements regarding the number of required figurative schemes are modified. (Author)

Twenty-three high school biology students were individually administered three conservation tasks (weight, volume, volume displacement). During one semester, they were examined over the course material using published Biological Sciences Curriculum Study (BSCS) Blue Version examination questions which were previously classified as requiring either concrete or formal reasoning for successful completion. Two predictions were made and partially confirmed: (1) a significant relationship exists between a student's ability to conserve and his level of success on the examination items; and (2) nonconserving students do not score above the level of chance success on formal examination items. (Author)

This study hypothesized that subjects who display proportional responses on the Pouring Water Task have developed the ability to comprehend logical arguments of the form referred to as "reasoning to a contradiction," while subjects who display additive responses on the same task have not. To test this hypothesis, 100 additive and proportional high school subjects (mean age 16.4 years) were administered three versions of a four-card task requiring them to reason to a contradiction before, immediately after, and one month after verbal instruction in the use of the reasoning pattern. Results were generally as predicted as most of the additive subjects failed the immediate and delayed posttest problems (62 percent and 80 percent respectively) while most of the proportional subjects succeeded (80 percent and 71 percent respectively). Group differences were significant (p less than .001). Since science is an enterprise based upon the process of falsification of hypothesis, it seems clear that this fundamental property is lost on many students as indicated by the results. Clearly, if these students are to grasp this property, a far greater effort by teachers and curriculum developers will have to be made. (Author/JN)

This paper describes how the learning cycle leads students to become more skilled reasoners. The three phases of the learning cycle are described and examples and goals of each are provided. Information is also offered on the three types of learning cycles: the descriptive; the empirical-inductive; and the hypothetical-deductive. Each is described in terms of: (1) how it addresses the phases of exploration, term introduction, and concept application; (2) the steps used in preparing and using the cycle; (3) its application to a specific topic area, i.e., skull structure/function, air pressure, and transportation. If correctly used, it is contended that the learning cycle will provide the opportunity for students to reveal their prior conceptions and to test them in an open atmosphere. References are included and an appendix contains both teacher and student materials for the activities which were described in the section on the three types of learning cycles. (ML)

A research review suggests that educational practice which nurtures the development of thinking skills in a free mind is effective for all. The paper describes the nature of thinking and the knowledge generation process. Success depends upon students having an opportunity to explore, question, and generate and test answers. (SM)

Grossberg's principles of neural modeling are reviewed and extended to provide a neural level theory to explain how analogies greatly increase the rate of learning and can make learning and retention possible. (PR)

Training consisting of concept acquisition tasks was given to elementary and secondary students (n=175). Results revealed that none of the five- and six-year-olds, approximately half of the seven-year-olds, and virtually all of the eight-year-olds responded successfully to the training. (PR)

The experimental/analogy group scored significantly higher than the control group on a posttest question that required the definition of diffusion (n=77 community college students). Hypothetico-deductive reasoning skill was significantly related to correct application of the diffusion concept to a change from the misapplication of the polarity and bonding concepts to the correct application of the diffusion concept. (PR)

A sample of 14 college and 8 high school biology textbooks were evaluated to determine whether they provided accurate and adequate descriptions and examples of scientific thinking. The authors contrast their views of the nature of scientific thinking with those of the textbook authors on the concepts of hypothesis, theory, law, and principle. (MDH)

One aspect of Jean Piaget's theory of intellectual development is presented and its implications for designing and using homework problems is discussed. Suggested is a way in which homework problems can be used to provide students an opportunity for self-regulation. Also discussed are the deficiencies of typical homework problems and examples are provided which can initiate self-regulation. Self-regulation is defined as the spontaneous but gradual process of seeking a coherence of ideas with observations, and of ideas with other ideas in Piagetian terms, integrating concepts into larger conceptual frameworks. Homework problems suggested to aid the student in self-regulation should include open-ended problems, problems with an apparent paradox, record keeping of the students' various ideas (successful or not), should require the students to draw diagrams of the problem, and the problems should require the student to search for data to solve the problems. (Author/DS)

This investigation addressed the following questions: (1) Can the ability to control variables be taught to high school biology students who, on a written test of logical operations, do not demonstrate formal reasoning; (2) Would students who are classified as early formal operational thinkers on the written test of logical operations be able to benefit more from the training than students who are classified as early or late concrete operational thinkers; and (3) If the ability to control variables can be learned, is it generalizable to problems utilizing novel materials? Sixty-five high school students (29 males and 36 females) enrolled in a biology course at Delphi High School in Delphi, Indiana, served as subjects. This research found that training was not successful in promoting appreciable understanding of the controlling variables concept. Also found was that understanding of the concept of controlling variables is lacking and not easily corrected. The training of specific Piagetian concepts was successful, but the students did not exhibit transfer of the training. (Author/DS)

Reported is a study to assess the Piagetian level of performance of males and females on two manipulative tasks of concrete and formal reasoning abilities and a written examination of concrete and formal reasoning abilities. Sixty-two high school students, 31 males and 31 females, were randomly selected from a biology course at Delphi High School in Delphi, Indiana. The data suggest that the format of the testing situation differentially affects males' and females' ability to demonstrate concrete and formal reasoning abilities. Males performed significantly better than females on the manipulative reasoning tasks, that is, at a somewhat more formal level than the females in this study. (Author/DS)

Assessed the effect of a one-semester college biology course on the development of students (N=72) ability to reason formally and interactions among intelligence, cognitive style, and cognitive level. Includes implications for science instruction. (SK)