Μορφές τυπικής λογικής σκέψης ανάμεσα σε μαθητές τρίτης λυκείου

Abstract

The subjects of the study were twelfth-grade students from 21 intact classes (227 boys and 242 girls). These classes were randomly selected among the 33 twelfth-grade classes of four schools in a city of Cyprus. The sample of students represented the science section, the economic section and the unified section consisting of sections following common curricula in science and mathematics, Students' performance on a standardized Test of Logical Thinking (TOLT) was used as a measure of their cognitive abilities related to control of variables, proportional, probabilistic, correlational and combinatorial reasoning. The students of the unified section had lower performance than the students of both the science and economic section on all cognitive measures and female students had lower performance than male students on cognitive measures related to control of variables and probabilistic reasoning. Multiple regression analysis between performance on TOLT and gender, section of study, and measures of school achievement showed that, beyond gender and section of study, both achievement in mathematics and gpa, but not achievement in science and Greek language, contributed significantly to predicting performance on TOLT. Observed differences related to measures of school achievement either among the subjects of the three sections or between male and female students did not correspond to differences related to cognitive measures. Factor analysis of performance of the ten TOLT items (two items from each reasoning mode) produced a two - factor solution. There were also significant differences of students' performance between items related to the same or different reasoning mode. The results of the study, in general, cast doubt to the appropriateness of the existing curricula or their implementation and indicate that different theoretical perspectives should be considered when evaluating cognitive development.