A review of research on formal reasoning and science teaching

Abstract

A central purpose of education is to improve students' reasoning abilities. The present review examines research in developmental psychology and science education that has attempted to assess the validity of Piaget's theory of formal thought and its relation to educational practice. Should a central objective of schools be to help students become formal thinkers? To answer this question research has focused on the following subordinate questions: (1) What role does biological maturation play in the development of formal reasoning? (2) Are Piaget's formal tasks reliable and valid? (3) Does formal reasoning constitute a unified and general mode of intellectual functioning? (4) How does the presence or absence of formal reasoning affect school achievement? (5) Can formal reasoning be taught? (6) What is the structural or functional nature of advanced reasoning? The general conclusion drawn is that although Piaget's work and that which has sprung from it leaves a number of unresolved theoretical and methodological problems, it provides an important background from which to make substantial progress toward a most significant educational objective. All our dignity lies in thought. By thought we must elevate ourselves, not by space and time which we can not fill. Let us endeavor then to think well; therein lies the principle of morality. Blaise Pascal 1623‐1662.

The Effect of Three Cognitive Variables on Students’ Understanding of the Particulate Nature of Matter and its Changes of State

“…These results are consistent with other findings in previous studies that reported the supremacy of logical thinking as a predictor variable on science achievement (Chandran et al 1987;Lawson & Thomson 1988;Johnson & Lawson 1998;Kang et al, 2005;). Lawson (1985) concluded that "deficiencies in formal reasoning are a probable cause of achievement deficiencies in the sciences, mathematics etc". Correspondingly, the results of this study support the hypothesis that an adequate level of logical thinking appears to be necessary for students to understand the particulate nature of matter and its changes of state.…”

“…Logical thinking is a Piagetian concept and refers to the ability of the subject to use concrete-and formal-operational reasoning (Lawson, 1978(Lawson, , 1985(Lawson, , 1993. Concrete-and formal-operational reasoning are needed for understanding of concrete-and formaloperational concepts respectively.…”

“…There is evidence that these methods can enhance the attainment of abstract concepts (Cantu & Herron, 1978;Howe & Durr, 1982;Zeitoun, 1984). Another alternative for dealing with the problem is to design training programmes that promote development in students' formal operational reasoning (Lawson, 1985).…”

Problématique de l’apprentissage et de l’enseignement des sciences au secondaire : un état de la question

“…Plusieurs recherches ont porté sur l'étude de la maîtrise par les étudiants des schemes opératoires formels jugés indispensables à la compréhension des concepts, des principes et des méthodes de la science (Lawson, 1985;Lawson et Thompson, 1988;Padilla, Okey et Dillashaw, 1983;Padilla, 1991). Leurs conclusions indiquent qu'un bon nombre d'élèves n'utilisent pas les outils intellectuels et les processus d'abstraction nécessaires à l'apprentissage des sciences.…”

The Effects of Visual Mapping and Science-Related Attitudes on Students’ Critical Thinking Skills

“…The work in the science education literature devoted to the fostering of critical thinking takes a number of different forms. Some of it focuses on particular aspects of critical thinking, for example identifying logical fallacies (Dreyfus & Jungwirth, 1980;Jungwirth & Dreyfus, 1990); formal reasoning (Garnett & Tobin, 1984;Lawson, 1982;1985;Obed, 1997); and scientific reasoning more broadly (Friedler et al, 1990). Most often it is directed to either the description and evaluation of projects and programmes aimed at fostering critical thinking (Moll & Allen, 1982;Novak & Detloff, 1989;Statkiewicz & Allen, 1983;Zohar & Tamir, 1993;Zoller, 1999) or the assessment of students' abilities to think critically (Dreyfus & Jungwirth, 1980;Garnett & Tobin, 1984).…”