Abstract
Formal reasoning, the ability to reason in the abstract beyond the bounds of specific contexts, is essential for effective science learning. Performance on Piagetian reasoning tasks shows that most adolescents are incapable of formal reasoning and there is a serious mismatch between the cognitive level of secondary school students and the demand of the science curriculum. The present study challenges the validity of using formal reasoning tasks in assessing reasoning abilities and they tend to under-estimate children's formal reasoning competence. Using a more valid instrument for assessing cognitive potential. the results of this study demonstrate that the processes of control-of-variables and deductive reasoning are affected by the context of the problems, the sequence of answering problems and format of presenting information. These conclusions provide the guidelines for the design training programmes to facilitate the development of formal reasoning skills in adolescents.
| Keywords: | Childrens Abilities; Formal Reasoning; Science Learning; Assessment Piagetian Reasoning Tasks |
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