Chinese Journal of Science Education


Vol. 15 No. 4 , Pages 387 - 416 , 2007

Studying Students’ Thinking Processes: Practical Reasoning as an Example (Article written in Chinese)

Hsiu-Lan MA

Abstract

The purpose of this paper was to observe fifth graders’ practical reasoning which was executed under teacher’s guidance through internet context. The effect of teachers’ guidance was investigated when students were working on reasoning. Especially, students’ heuristics and thinking levels were analyzed at the very instance of students’ practical reasoning. The findings were follows. 1. The timely guidance of the teachers was necessary for students. Through question strategy the teachers could guide students to develop five-step reasoning heuristics in related situation. Teachers’ guidance could create the students’ experience of practical reasoning. 2. The five-step heuristic model was workable. The students could develop these thinking processes, but the involved heuristics components were different. Each step could be not to take place or could occur repeatedly. Thus heuristics students showed could skip some or shuttle back and forth among five categories. The students were used to acting on basic thinking because the subskills of “analyzing” took place more. The good reasoners were apt to “validate” about critical thinking and to “reflect” about creative thinking. The students’ reasoning was mostly inclined to individuals’ value for problems when their thinking processes confronted non-mathematics. 3. It was proved that there were the relation and hierarchy of three kinds of thinking contained in reasoning. The researcher revised the figure in the reasoning literature to indicate the fields, independence, intersection, and hierarchy among basic, critical, and creative thinking.

Keywords: thinking; heuristics; question; practical reasoning

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