Gyöngyvér Molnár : Fostering inductive thinking in elementary school pupils

This paper presents a developmental training program of inductive reasoning for first and second grade students and the results of the first evaluation study. The training is based on Klauer’s theory of inductive reasoning and the concept his ’Cognitive training for children’ (Klauer, 1989). The training program consists of 120 problems which can be solved by inductive reasoning. The tools of the training exercises were selected to correspond to the age of the cohort targeted. One quarter of the tasks are manipulative (based on the use of colorful building blocks, Dienes’s logical set, matches, etc.). In the experimental and control groups of the study 53 and 67 low-SES students participated, respectively. For the pre- and post-test of the study an inductive reasoning test was used, consisting of 33 figural, nonverbal items (Cronbach α=0.86). On the post-test, the experimental group significantly outperformed the control group by nearly two standard deviations. The experimental group scored significantly higher on every ability targeted by the training (generalization, discrimination, cross-classification, recognizing relations, discriminating relations and system formation). The most noticeable development (35%) was found in system formation. No gender differences were found on the pre- or the posttest. The effect size of the training program is d=0.95. This study provided evidence that inductive reasoning can be developed at a young age very efficiently.

MAGYAR PEDAGÓGIA 106. Number 1. 63-80. (2006)

Address for correspondence: Molnár Gyöngyvér, Szegedi Tudomány¬egyetem Neveléstudományi Intézet, MTA-SZTE Képességkutató Csoport, H–6722 Szeged, Petőfi S. sgt. 30–34.

 
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