When do Adolescents Reason?

Abstract

Summaries English Educators need to know when an adolescent will use a particular available problem‐solving mechanism or strategy. If a student can solve proportional reasoning problems in mathematics and physics classes but fails to comprehend the ‘odds’ in a local lottery, the teacher would like to know why. Three task context factors that form obstacles to generalizing logical reasoning strategies are illustrated by research studies. The obstacles are perceived relevance of the variables, perceived goal of the experiment and variable salience. The relationship between these factors and Piagetian theory is explored. Piaget's view that generalization is difficult to predict is a pessimistic one for educators. In contrast to this view, our findings suggest that it is possible to make some predictions abouthow and when logical mechanisms will be generalized to new situations. Implications for designing educational programmes which enhance generalizability of instruction in logical reasoning are described.