Reasoning Skills Research Articles

Using the gaming chatbot to develop algorithmic and logical thinking skills

The use of special computer games in classes increases student engagement and maintains their interest in learning, including learning computer science. Due to the logical and rational nature of solving programming problems, logic games and puzzle games that develop cognitive abilities, logical and algorithmic thinking are well suited for teaching computer science. Considering the popularity of Wordle puzzle game and the fact that word games are very effective for developing cognitive abilities, a gaming chatbot with puzzle tasks organized according to Wordle principles was developed for learning computer science and programming. The aim of the article is to investigate the effect of the developed gaming chatbot on students’ algorithmic and logical thinking.The study involved 3rd year undergraduate students of the educational program “Information Systems and Technologies”, Faculty of Information Technologies, Moscow Polytechnic University. The students used the gaming chatbot outside of class for 10 days and completed surveys before and after use. The analysis of the students’ surveys showed the impact of this gaming chatbot on the activation of memory, attention and to a greater extent logical thinking of the students, as well as on assessing students’ perception of the complexity of programming, their own knowledge of programming languages and logical thinking skills.The results of the study expand current ideas regarding the use of gaming chatbots and Wordle-type puzzle tasks in teaching computer science and programming. The presented gaming chatbot will help to increase students’ interest in classes, students’ involvement in the learning process, and ensure the development of their cognitive abilities.The conclusions of the article may be of practical interest to informatics and programming teachers. They contribute to the development of the direction of building gaming chatbots, as well as the use of word puzzles for teaching computer science.

Spatial reasoning in mathematics standards: identifying how early elementary educators are systematically supported to teach spatial skills

Spatial reasoning is critical to early mathematics learning, but it is unclear how early elementary educators learn to teach and are supported in teaching its comprising skills. One view of the available supports can be found by examining the alignment of spatial reasoning skills and mathematics education standards, as standards provide the content of the intended curriculum children are expected to learn at each grade level. This study used content analysis methods to investigate how spatial reasoning might be taught through broadly adopted early elementary education standards in the United States, the Kindergarten through Grade 2 Common Core State Standards for Mathematics. The paper describes the frequency and degree of explicitness with which 38 spatial reasoning skills are therein represented. Findings indicate that most standards implicitly relate to some form of spatial reasoning through a pedagogical reach of teaching expertise, but few standards contain explicit spatial linkages. The implications and limitations of this analysis are discussed in relation to teaching spatial reasoning in early elementary grades and students’ opportunities to learn these critical skills.

Peran Musik Tradisi pada Pengembangan Kemampuan Berpikir Kognitif Siswa Sekolah Dasar

This study aims to analyze the role of traditional music in developing the cognitive thinking abilities of elementary school students. It employs a qualitative method through literature review. The findings indicate that traditional music offers numerous benefits for enhancing the cognitive thinking abilities of elementary school students, including improving memory and concentration, fostering creative and logical thinking skills, enhancing problem-solving abilities, improving communication skills, and enhancing critical thinking skills. The study also suggests several ways to integrate traditional music into elementary school education, such as incorporating it into Language and Culture lessons, teaching Traditional Music Arts, offering music extracurricular activities, implementing creative projects, and collaborating with the local community. In conclusion, traditional music can play a significant role in the development of cognitive thinking abilities among elementary school students. Integrating traditional music into education can contribute to the holistic development of students.

Development of a Flipped Learning Instructional Design Model for Clinical Reasoning Development in Preclinical Students Based on Illness Scripts

Objectives Recent educational demands have arisen in medical schools to systematically and directly teach clinical reasoning skills to preclinical medical students. This has highlighted the need for instructional design models to guide clinical professors in designing such educational programs. Instructional design models can reduce the challenges faced by clinical professors during course design by providing comprehensive guidance on the process. However, despite this practical necessity, research in this area is lacking. Thus, this study aimed to develop and validate an instructional design model and accompanying detailed design guidelines for developing a flipped learning course aimed at enhancing clinical reasoning skills in preclinical medical students based on illness scripts. The purposes of this study were to specify variables related to convergence competency, and to analyze the structural relationships among them. Methods To achieve this goal, developmental research, including model development and validation, was employed. The instructional design model and detailed design guidelines were developed based on literature reviews and a case study, and model validation was conducted through two rounds of expert validation and a usability test. Results The developed instructional design model was structured as a procedural model explaining the steps of instructional design, and designed at two levels (course and individual class). Furthermore, the model comprises six stages and 22 major design activities, while the detailed design guidelines include comprehensive explanations of design activities carried out in each stage of instructional design. Conclusions The developed instructional design model and detailed design guidelines can provide clinical professors with practical assistance in systematically designing flipped learning to enhance clinical reasoning skills in preclinical medical students based on illness scripts.

Learning Python Programming in Middle School - an Innovative path to Digital Literacy

In today's world, digital literacy plays a key role in preparing young people for future challenges. Learning to program, especially in Python, is becoming an increasingly important part of high school education. This article draws attention to innovative methods and approaches to implementing a Python programming curriculum in secondary schools, considering them as an effective path to developing digital literacy in students. The article discusses the benefits of learning Python, its role in developing programming and logical thinking skills, and offers recommendations for using innovative teaching methods such as online courses, project work, and competitions to achieve digital literacy goals in high school.

The Impact of Online Cooperative Learning on Scientific Reasoning Skills and Motivation

During the COVID-19 pandemic, all universities across Turkey transitioned to remote education as an urgent measure. Despite indications that the pandemic has subsided, online teaching practices continue to prevail in higher education. Accordingly, the purpose of this study, conducted under extraordinary circumstances of the pandemic, is to examine the impact of online cooperative learning on the scientific reasoning skills and motivation of pre-service science teachers. A total of 54 students participated in the study, with 28 from the experimental group and 26 from the control group, following a non-equivalent control group design. The experimental group received instruction using the online cooperative learning, while the control group participated in large group discussions in an online environment in the context of a science teaching methods course. Data for the research were collected through pre-test and post-test administrations of the Lawson’s Classroom Test of Scientific Reasoning (LCTSR) and the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ). According to the results, compared to whole-class discussions, online cooperative learning increased pre-service science teachers’ scientific reasoning skills and motivation. In conclusion, online cooperative learning is considered an effective method for enhancing the pre-service science teachers’ education, contributing to the further improvement of online teaching, which has become even more widespread due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Defining Spatial Reasoning: A Content Analysis to Explicate Spatial Reasoning Skills for Early Childhood Educators’ Use

Spatial reasoning is critical for mathematics learning and achievement, and its comprising skills are necessary in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics careers. To support young children in learning to reason spatially, clear definitions of the construct and supports for early childhood educators to teach the skills are needed. This study defines spatial reasoning as a comprehensive, comprehensible framework of skills. Using problem-driven content analysis, 835 text units from 103 sources, plus definitions from two reputable dictionary sources, were used to adopt, adapt, and infer the definitions for 40 terms that collectively represent spatial reasoning. Findings provide both the definitions and evidence of the extent to which various spatial reasoning skills have been investigated empirically. Directions for future research are discussed, including the need to refine the framework to ensure its utility for teachers and researchers.

Using unfolding case studies to develop critical thinking for Graduate Entry Nursing students: an educational design research study

BackgroundGraduate Entry Nursing (GEN) programmes have been introduced as another entry point to nurse registration. In the development of a new GEN programme, a problem-based approach to learning was used to develop critical thinking and clinical reasoning skills of motivated and academically capable students.ObjectiveTo explore and evaluate the design and delivery of course material delivered to GEN students embedded in authentic learning pedagogy from the perspectives of both GEN students and academic staff using an unfolding case study approach.MethodsAn educational design research approach was used to explore the learning experiences of GEN students using an unfolding case study approach situated in experiential pedagogy and the teaching experiences of the academics who designed it. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with students once they had finished the course and weekly reflective diary recordings by academic staff throughout implementation. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data.FindingsStudent reflections highlighted that this cohort had insight into how they learned and were comfortable voicing their needs to academic staff. While the unfolding case studies were not liked by all participants, for some it offered a unique learning opportunity; particularly when scaffolded with podcasts, simulation labs, tutorials and clinical placements. Staff reflections primarily aligned with student experiences.ConclusionThe gaps highlighted in the delivery of the course suggest that a blended pedagogical approach to graduate entry nurse education is required. Specifically, GEN students are aware of the learning needs and are happy to express these to academic staff, thus suggesting that engaging with a co-design curriculum approach will benefit future cohorts.

Virtual sketching-based dental anatomy module improves learners' abilities to use computer-aided design to create dental restorations and prostheses.

Dental anatomy education for dental technology students should be developed in alignment with digital dental laboratory practices. We hypothesized that a virtually assisted sketching-based dental anatomy teaching module could improve students' acquisition of skills essential for digital restoration design. The second-year dental technology curriculum included a novel virtual technology-assisted sketching-based module for dental anatomy education. Pre- and post-course assessments evaluated students' skill sets and knowledge bases. Computer-aided design (CAD) scores were analyzed after one year to assess how the skills students developed through this module impacted their subsequent CAD performance. Participants who undertook the dental sketching-based teaching module demonstrated significantly improved theoretical knowledge of dental anatomy, dental aesthetic perception, and spatial reasoning skills. A partial least squares structural equation model indicated that the positive effects of this module on subsequent CAD performance were indirectly mediated by dental aesthetic perception, spatial reasoning, and practice time. A virtually assisted sketching-based dental anatomy teaching module significantly improved students' acquisition of skills and knowledge and positively mediated dental technology students' CAD performance.

Logical thinking skills and problem solving skills of the Grade 12 STEM students of University of Northern Philippines: A basis for extension plan

Logical thinking skills and problem solving skills of the Grade 12 STEM students of University of Northern Philippines: A basis for extension plan

Benefits of the Modified Version of the Illness-Wellness Continuum Model for Nurse Education.

With rapid advancements in sciences and the expanding scope of nursing practice, faculty are challenged to connect the experiences of learners with abstract concepts of science and to cultivate clinical reasoning skills. Rationale for the adoption of the illness-wellness continuum model includes the following: (a) the relationships among illness, health, and the nursing process are relevant in many health situations, and (b) levels of wellness are steeped in holistic principles of self-care, which are consistent with educational and clinical goals. The modified version of the illness-wellness continuum model can serve as the groundwork that prepares nursing students in a constantly changing workplace.

Comparing First-Year Engineering Student Conceptions of Ethical Decision-Making to Performance on Standardized Assessments of Ethical Reasoning

The Defining Issues Test 2 (DIT-2) and Engineering Ethical Reasoning Instrument (EERI) are designed to measure ethical reasoning of general (DIT-2) and engineering-student (EERI) populations. These tools—and the DIT-2 especially—have gained wide usage for assessing the ethical reasoning of undergraduate students. This paper reports on a research study in which the ethical reasoning of first-year undergraduate engineering students at multiple universities was assessed with both of these tools. In addition to these two instruments, students were also asked to create personal concept maps of the phrase “ethical decision-making.” It was hypothesized that students whose instrument scores reflected more postconventional levels of moral development and more sophisticated ethical reasoning skills would likewise have richer, more detailed concept maps of ethical decision-making, reflecting their deeper levels of understanding of this topic and the complex of related concepts. In fact, there was no significant correlation between the instrument scores and concept map scoring, suggesting that the way first-year students conceptualize ethical decision making does not predict the way they behave when performing scenario-based ethical reasoning (perhaps more situated). This disparity indicates a need to more precisely quantify engineering ethical reasoning and decision making, if we wish to inform assessment outcomes using the results of such quantitative analyses.

Personal Income Performance Correlates with Brain Structural Network Modularity but Not Intelligence Quotient.

Introduction: This study aims to use diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) in conjunction with brain graph techniques to define brain structural connectivity and investigate its association with personal income (PI) in individuals of various ages and intelligence quotients (IQ). Methods: MRI examinations were performed on 55 male subjects (mean age: 40.1 ± 9.4 years). Graph data and metrics were generated, and DTI images were analyzed using tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS). All subjects underwent the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale for a reliable estimation of the full-scale IQ (FSIQ), which includes verbal comprehension index, perceptual reasoning index, working memory index, and processing speed index. The performance score was defined as the monthly PI normalized by the age of the subject. Results: The analysis of global graph metrics showed that modularity correlated positively with performance score (p = 0.003) and negatively with FSIQ (p = 0.04) and processing speed index (p = 0.005). No significant correlations were found between IQ indices and performance scores. Regional analysis of graph metrics showed modularity differences between right and left networks in sub-cortical (p = 0.001) and frontal (p = 0.044) networks. TBSS analysis showed greater axial and mean diffusivities in the high-performance group in correlation with their modular brain organization. Conclusion: This study showed that PI performance is strongly correlated with a modular organization of brain structural connectivity, which implies short and rapid networks, providing automatic and unconscious brain processing. Additionally, the lack of correlation between performance and IQ suggests a reduced role of academic reasoning skills in performance to the advantage of high uncertainty decision-making networks.

Exploring the responses of preclinical medical students and professors to flipped learning for the development of clinical reasoning.

This study developed and implemented case-based flipped learning using illness script worksheets and investigated the responses of preclinical students and professors to the intervention in terms of its effectiveness, design, and implementation. The study was conducted at a medical school in Korea, where the "clinical reasoning method" course, originally a lecture-oriented course, was redesigned into a flipped learning. In total, 42 second-year medical students and 15 professors participated in this course. After the class, online surveys were conducted, and a focus group interview was held with seven students to explore the students' experiences in more detail. In total, 37 students and seven professors participated in the survey. The mean score for all items is 3.12/4 for the student survey and 3.43/4 for the professor survey. The focus group interview results were categorized as the beneficial aspects and challenges for the development of clinical reasoning. The findings indicated that their responses to the intervention were generally positive, and it is thought to be an effective instructional method for fostering clinical reasoning skills in preclinical medical students.

Growth and longevity of the endangered freshwater pearl mussel (Margaritifera margaritifera): Implications for conservation and management

AbstractKey life‐history data, such as growth and age, are necessary to effectively manage and conserve threatened freshwater mussel species. Traditionally growth and age studies require large yet destructive sample sizes covering all age classes. Such methods pose a risk to populations of conservation concern, and therefore, alternative methods that need only limited sample sizes are necessitated to prevent further threats to such populations. We applied retrospective shell growth at age reconstructions to 98 critically endangered freshwater pearl mussel (FPM) individuals from 34 populations across Finland and Sweden, enabling the use of extremely small sample sizes (n = 1–6 per population). We compared the performance of six different growth models with the reconstructed size‐at‐age data across FPM juvenile (<20 years old) and adult life stages. The growth reconstruction model showed reasonable skill in reconstructing FPM growth patterns. The von Bertalanffy model showed to be a good general descriptor of growth for FPM, but it systematically underestimated the asymptotic size. The power law model was the most accurate in estimating juvenile growth (lowest deviances from the size‐at‐age data). FPM showed great variability in longevity (Amax = 54–254 years) and growth constant k (0.018–0.057 year−1). Our results show that reasonable estimates of growth can be attained even when sample sizes are extremely limited. The results can be further applied to gain knowledge on the population's age structure, size at maturation, and recovery potential. The methodology is applicable to other freshwater mussel species of conservation concern.

Development of learning video comparison using Palembang jumputan context to determine students' mathematical reasoning

The importance of learning videos on comparison materials in the context of Palembang jumputan fabric as a starting point for learning so that students have good mathematical reasoning ability. The purpose of this research is to produce a learning video on comparison using the context of Palembang jumputan fabric that is valid and practical and to determine the potential effect of using a learning video on comparison using the context of Palembang jumputan fabric on students' mathematical reasoning ability. This research uses the Pendidikan Matematika Realistik Indonesia (PMRI) and collaborative learning approaches. This type of research is a design research type of development study. The subjects of this study were 37 seventh-grade students at Srijaya Negara Junior High School, Palembang. The data collection techniques were observation, tests, and interviews, which were analyzed descriptively. This research produced a learning video on comparison material using the context of Palembang jumputan fabric that was valid and practical, and the potential effect of using learning videos on students' mathematical reasoning skills was classified as good, with an average value of 67.52. Using learning videos on comparison materials in the context of Palembang jumputan fabrics makes students' mathematical reasoning skills classified as good.

Spatial Cognition and Learners’ Readiness toward STEM in Post-Pandemic

Spatial Cognition plays a very significant role towards the success of various scientific disciplines, as literature has demonstrated clearly that these skills are highly demanded for learning and pursuing STEM fields. This study was carried out to explore the level of spatial cognition among high school students and examine the learners' readiness towards STEM subjects. The study was descriptive and a quantitative research method was applied. A standardized tool was utilized to assess the spatial cognition of the students of the science group of grades 9 to 12th. 130 students from 13 to 18 years with an average age of 15.5 were administered the Mental Rotation Test (MRT) for measuring spatial cognition and readiness was measured through statements using a 5-point Likert scale. The results were analyzed using the SPSS-21 version. It was found that the majority of the students had low level of spatial cognition, which hindered their readiness regarding STEM in post-pandemic situations. There was a positive linear relationship between spatial cognition and readiness of the learners’ regarding STEM subjects. Moreover, it was concluded that there was a significant impact of spatial cognition on the readiness of the learners towards STEM. Therefore, it was recommended that the science curriculum should be designed in such a way that incorporates spatial reasoning skills among students. This study's findings serve as a baseline to attract the science educationists towards a challenging predictor.

Utilizing network analysis to explore student qualitative inferential reasoning chains

Over the course of the introductory calculus-based physics course, students are often expected to build conceptual understanding and develop and refine skills in problem solving and qualitative inferential reasoning. Many of the research-based materials developed over the past 30 years by the physics education research community use sequences of scaffolded questions to step students through a qualitative inferential reasoning chain. It is often tacitly assumed that, in addition to building conceptual understanding, such materials improve qualitative reasoning skills. However, clear documentation of the impact of such materials on qualitative reasoning skills is critical. New methodologies are needed to better study reasoning processes and to disentangle, to the extent possible, processes related to physics content from processes general to all human reasoning. As a result, we have employed network analysis methodologies to examine student responses to reasoning-related tasks in order to gain deeper insight into the nature of student reasoning in physics. In this paper, we show that network analysis metrics are both interpretable and valuable when applied to student reasoning data generated from . We also demonstrate that documentation of improvements in the articulation of specific lines of reasoning can be obtained from a network analysis of responses to reasoning chain construction tasks. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Comparison Of Inquiry And Problem Solving Approaches Towards Improving Students' Mathematical Reasoning Ability And Self Confidence High School Students

The study aims to identify differences between improved mathematical reasoning skills of students taught with inquiry approaches and mathematics problem solving education approaches; to determine differences in improved self-confidence of teaching students with inquisition approaches, and in mathematically solving educational approaches. This research is categorized into quasy experimental research. This research is being carried out at one of the Higher Secondary Schools in Labuhan Batu regency in the academic year 2023/2024, with the timetable for the conduct of research coordinated according to the school's activities. The subject of this study is a total of 72 high school X-grade students. The results of this survey show that; there is a difference between improved mathematical reasoning skills of students with inquiry approaches and problem solving approaches; there are differences in improved self-confidence students with Inquiry and Problem Solving Approaches; There is a distinction between inquery and problem-solving mathematics education approaches to enhanced mathematic reasoning ability and self confidence

Construction of Critical Reasoning Skills Assessment Instruments as Diagnostic Assessments in Physics Learning with Polytomus Scoring

Construction of Critical Reasoning Skills Assessment Instruments as Diagnostic Assessments in Physics Learning with Polytomus Scoring