Provides examples of if-then and combinatorial reasoning situations that have proved successful with college students and can be used with secondary school students. Proposes that practice with these problem solving processes can eliminate the need to memorize formulas that students may not understand. (ML)

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…

Presents a comparative analysis of the psychometric properties of three group tests of logical thinking used in science education research. Findings dealing with Longeot's Test of Logical Thinking, Lawson's Test of Formal Reasoning, and Tobin and Capie's Test of Logical Thinking demonstrate a lack of concurrent validity. Includes recommendations.…

Discusses a study which compared differences in ratio construction made by high school freshman and junior students. Reports that more freshmen than juniors selected solutions involving one variable, whereas juniors chose solutions that coordinated two variables in a mathematical or verbal rule. Reviews implications in problem solving and concept…

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…

Investigates gender differences and the role of spatial visualization in problem solving in high school geometry. Reports that, whereas males and females differed in spatial visualization and in their performance, they did not differ in logical reasoning ability or in their use of geometric problem-solving strategies. (Author)

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 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:…

Reports on a study intended to establish a relationship between the M-space (mental energy) and the M-demand (the variable difficulties of Piagetian tasks presumed to entail the same logical structure) of different items of general chemistry. Recommends that chemistry teachers consider the role of cognitive factors in determining student success.…

The basic purpose of the cooperative research project was to study the level of reasoning skills in junior high school students in Japan and the United States (grades 7, 8, and 9). This study examined the relationships among logical thinking skills, integrated process skills, and attitudes of junior high school students in North Carolina.…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between the achievement of some abstract concepts in "molecular genetics" and prior knowledge, formal reasoning ability, and sex. The major findings of the study were: (1) prior knowledge had a high significant correlation with the achievement of abstract concepts; (2) the…