Proposes a theoretical model of cognitive development and applies this model to the secondary analysis of two large-scale studies which focus on the acquisition of formal operational schemata by adolescents in the United States and Israel. Results support the "unity" hypothesis of cognitive development that the various schemata of formal…

Investigated was the relation between student ability to translate sentences into equations, equations into sentences, and student performance in formal operational reasoning, proportional reasoning, and introductory-level chemistry. Results indicate that students who lack formal operational skills may experience problems in the translation of…

Presented is a study in which students' intellectual reasoning development was evaluated following instruction that emphasized formal operations in a traditional lecture format. Results indicated that formal-operational students had significantly more success in the three reasoning areas than transitional students and transitional students had…

Assessed was the level of thinking of 140 students who had been placed in developmental algebra as entering college freshmen. Scores on the Group Assessment of Logical Thinking, Scholastic Aptitude Tests, college placement tests; high school grade point average, and developmental algebra final grade were analyzed. Group characteristics are…

Misconceptions, shown to be prevalent in students even at the college level, may affect the cognitive process of making predictions in biology. The purpose of this study was to: (1) identify students' misconceptions about important biological concepts; (2) identify students' cognitive behaviors associated with making predictions about these…

Investigates whether distinctions in cognitive structures between formal and concrete operational students effect their ability to produce an accurate cognitive structure, retain geometric content, and retain cognitive structures. Concludes that clear structures can be derived for the students. (Author/YP)

Considers the period of adolescence and describes how cognitive-developmental concerns might apply to the understanding of adolescent problems in interpersonal and affective adaptation. Also investigates ways in which intervention practices with adolescents might be placed within a cognitive-developmental context. (PCB)

Reviews the neural modeling principles of learning, perception, cognition, and motor control, discusses their applications to sensory-motor problem solving, and explores possible relationships between that pattern of problem solving and aspects of higher order formal operational problem solving. Cites implications for science education. (ML)

While logical reasoning skills are related to success in science, the relationship between thought and formal logic is not clear. Propositional Logic Test (PLT), error patterns of students' interpretations of logical proposition, and developmental patterns of the error type are described. Examined is the relationship between logical reasoning…

Describes a study designed to determine if college students' success in writing computer programs is related to level of cognitive development as described by Piaget, verbal ability, and mathematics reasoning. Regression analysis showed that level of cognitive development, when combined with verbal reasoning, is linearly predictive of programming…

Investigated were gender-related differences in the relationship between the development of formal reasoning skills and learning interests during the early adolescent stage. Results indicated that adolescent boys appeared to develop patterns of formal reasoning before their female classmates. Differences in subject preferences were also found. (CW)

This paper describes a study designed to investigate the development of scientific reasoning or logical thinking patterns of South Korean secodary school students. The scientific reasoning or logical thinking patterns were categorized into patterns of logic such as seriation, combinations, proportion, control of variables, probability, and…

The effect of intervention lessons designed to accelerate the development of formal operations taught over a period of two years to adolescents was assessed. Results indicated that the experimental group had achieved a significantly greater gain in cognitive levels than the control group. Implications are discussed. (CW)

The purpose of this descriptive study was to investigate the developmental patterns in logical reasoning of students in grades 6-10 over a span of 20 months. The Group Assessment of Logical Thinking (GALT) was administered to the sample (N=84) during the fall of 1986, the fall of 1987, and the spring of 1988. The GALT measures six reasoning modes:…

This study investigated preservice elementary teacher reasoning ability levels, science anxiety levels, and content achievement in a large midwestern university. Pretest and posttest measures were taken on three dependent variables: (1) reasoning ability (cognitive development); (2) science anxiety; and (3) science content achievement. In…