Relationships of science subject matter and developmental levels of learners

Abstract

IntroductionAccording to the Piagetian model, formal thought begins to develop at age 11 or 12 and reaches an equilibrium state at around age 15 or 16. This model states that concreteoperational persons are unable to develop understanding of abstract concepts, i.e., concepts which require the building of theories and departures from concrete reality (Inhelder & Piaget, 1958. pp. 339-342). Also, it is implied that formal-operational persons are able to develop understanding of both concrete and abstract concepts. If this is the case, then the present emphasis on basic unifying abstract themes and concepts in the new secondary school science programs is probably appropriate in that the majority of students enrolled in these classes would be formal thinkers. A good deal of recent research, however, indicates that, to the contrary, perhaps from 40 to 75 percent of secondary school students have failed to reach the level of formal thought (Karplus ).If the Piagetian model is correct in contending that concrete thinkers cannot develop understanding of abstract subject matter and if, indeed, a large portion of secondary school students are concrete operational, then a major portion of today's secondary school science curricula which the foundation-sponsored projects have developed is beyond the student's level of understanding and, therefore, inappropriate. The conclusion Kohlberg and Gilligan (1971) came to when they stated, "Clearly these new curricula assumed formal operational thought rather than attempting to develop it," certainly deserves careful analysis. Problem StatementThe primary objective of this analysis was to assess understanding of concrete-and formal-operational concepts by concrete and formal operational students in secondary school biology, chemistry, and physics classes.

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