Abstract
This paper presents research on the effects of a cognitive acceleration intervention in science lessons on low socioeconomic students in a government high school in regional Western Australia. Thinking Science Australia is a programme currently being implemented in Australian junior high school classes. The research was conducted for over two years as a case study in one school with students as they entered high school in Year 8 (n = 71). Findings show that significant cognitive gains were made, with concomitant improvement in the state-wide testing in science when participating students were in Year 9, aged 13 and 14. Teachers reported changes to the ways they teach and described the challenges in implementing the intervention programme.
Highlights
Background and Theoretical FrameworkCognitive acceleration, thinking skills and curriculum Thinking Science Australia program is based on the hypothesis that there is some general intellectual function in children, which develops with age, and is influenced both by the environment and by maturation (Adey & Shayer, 2002)
The exploratory nature of this research arises from the use of the data from the one school as a pilot study prior to the professional learning program being implemented in other schools in Australia. We report on this one case study, in which all students participated in the intervention over two years when they were in Year 8 and Year 9 (12 to 14 years old)
The case study students started at a lower mean cognitive level than the control population, but made greater cognitive gains over the intervention period
Summary
Background and Theoretical FrameworkCognitive acceleration, thinking skills and curriculum Thinking Science Australia program is based on the hypothesis that there is some general intellectual function in children, which develops with age, and is influenced both by the environment and by maturation (Adey & Shayer, 2002). Concrete preparation involves the teacher establishing a problem for the students to consider, negotiating any associated ideas and terminology needed to understand the problem. Cognitive conflict draws on the Piagetian idea of equilibration and the Vygotskian idea of a zone of proximal development (ZPD). Both these notions lead us to suppose that cognition is stimulated by the presentation of intellectual challenges of moderate difficulty that must be accompanied by support (or scaffolding) to discuss, question, suggest and problem solve. Social construction is the shared development of explanations of and understandings about the problem and potential solutions
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