EFFECTS OF METHOD AND FORMAT ON SUBJECTS' RESPONSES TO A CONTROL OF VARIABLES REASONING PROBLEM.

The article presents a study that determines the effects of various methods and formats on the students' responses to a Piagetian reasoning problem. The Mealworm problem, the task chosen for the examination, was presented by three methods: individual clinical interview; group presentation of task followed by paper-and-pencil problem; and administration of paper-and-pencil in a group. Two hundred and fifty-three students participated in the study. Findings showed that the format of task administration influenced the performance of subjects on the Mealworm problems. Also, the study revealed that individual performance differed from the performance of the classes in which they were enrolled.