Many science curriculum development projects have the goal of increasing students' ability to employ scientific or formal reasoning strategies. Argues that longitudinal data of students who acquired formal reasoning strategies as a consequence of specific instruction are needed to provide evidence that these skills will help in other academic…

Presents data on reasoning abilities of science and non-science majors at one private, liberal arts university. Indicates that most students taking physics are formal operational or into transition to formal reasoning and that six concrete operational students dropped the course. (JN)

Evaluated is the Longeot test, a paper and pencil test designed to measure various aspects of formal and concrete operational thought. Information from over 500 subjects (ages 17 to 20) indicated the test to be reliable and classifications from it correlated with classifications mode using Piagetian tasks. (DS)

Reported is a study related to diagnosing elements of propositional thinking in the cognitive functioning of 62 sixth- and seventh-grade students. The rationale is based on the work of Piaget and others. Instruments used to diagnose levels of abstract thinking involved using computer simulated experiments (CSE). The direct and indirect effects of…

Reports a study of 913 Israeli students in grades 7-12 from randomly chosen heterogeneous homeroom classes to investigate students' Piagetian cognitive levels using a video-based test. Results indicate that less than 50 percent of high school students have mastered formal operational reasoning. (MDH)

This book on propositional reasoning is part of a series designed to assist beginning and experienced teachers in becoming regular evaluators of their own instruction. The book consists of two parts. The first part provides information on probabilistic, disjunctive, combinatorial, implicational, deductive, and proportional reasoning and on…

Developmental patterns in one mode of formal reasoning (probabilistic reasoning) were examined in this research study, specifically: (1) to determine if developmental patterns of probabilistic reasoning could be confirmed using a large, diverse sample of subjects, and if they could be similar despite variations in the complexity of the reasoning…

Describes a study which was designed to determine the effect of a 25-hour introductory qualitative analysis course on high school students' understanding of formal concepts related to electrolytes. Suggests that introductory concrete experiences better prepare students to deal with more formal abstract concepts. (TW)

Examines content and problem effects of formal thought in 13-year-olds (N=120). Three controlling variables tasks with different content and two question-type tests (analysis and controlling questions) were administered. Findings, among others, indicate that content and problem effects contribute to variance on formal reasoning problems.…