Abstract:
This study was carried out to determine the nature of formal reasoning among junior high
school pupils in some selected schools in the Effutu Municipality. This study thus used
logical reasoning tests in integrated science and in general knowledge as well as an
interview protocol in collecting data. The integrated science logic tasks were based on
topics chosen from the integrated science syllabus for form one, two and three pupils.
However, the general logic tasks were based on general knowledge with the level of
pupils taken into consideration. In choosing the sample for the study, 150 pupils were
randomly selected from five public junior high schools in the Effutu Municipality. They
were then served with different items based on their syllabus. Cronbach-Alpha reliability
values of 0.750, 0.780, 0.860 and 0.916, 0.826, 0.783 were obtained in the ISLT and GLT
for form 1,2 and 3 respectively. The validity of the instruments was established by
supervisors and other senior lecturers in the Department of Science Education, University
of Education, Winneba. Out of the total sample, 30 pupils were randomly selected for the
interview. The results of the two tests and the interview were used to determine the nature
of their formal reasoning pattern. It was found that most pupils were operating at the
concrete operational level of reasoning with just a handful being at the formal operational
level of reasoning. Again the few pupils who could do formal reasoning mostly exhibited
conservational, probabilistic and combinatorial reasoning with few pupils doing
correlational, controlling variables and proportional reasoning. On the whole, the form
one pupils did more formal reasoning than form two and form three in the general logic
tasks. The trend however changed in the integrated science logic tasks as the form three
pupils did more formal reasoning than the form one and two pupils. It was also found that
University of Education, Winneba http://ir.uew.edu.gh
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on the average all pupils performed better in the integrated science logic tasks than in the
general logic tasks, implying that pupils‟ formal reasoning was subject oriented.
Description:
A Thesis in the Department of SCIENCE EDUCATION, Faculty of SCIENCE
EDUCATI ON, submitted to the School of Graduate Studies, University of
Education, Winneba in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the award of the
Master of Philosophy degree in Science Education
MAY, 2015