ERIC Number: EJ1120240
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2016-Sep
Pages: 5
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1449-6313
EISSN: N/A
Effects of a Modified Thinking Science Program for Year 8 Students of Various Abilities
Mobbs, Ellen
Teaching Science, v62 n3 p45-49 Sep 2016
The aim of this research was to identify whether students of various academic abilities would achieve positive gains in cognitive ability after completing a modified cognitive acceleration program based on the Cognitive Acceleration through Science Education (CASE) program. This research was quasi-experimental in design, with small samples of students participating over a two-year period through completing a pre-test, fifteen of the Thinking Science lessons and a post-test. It was concluded that student gains indicated an improvement in cognitive ability. This improvement was more significant for students with verified learning disabilities receiving support. It was also found that students in a support class with verified learning disabilities who participated in the Thinking Science program had greater relative gains in the NAPLAN dimensions of numeracy, writing and reading than both the accelerated students who participated in the program and those who did not. This suggests a correlation between participation in a cognitive acceleration program and improved standardised testing scores. The study will continue with a larger participant group in 2016.
Descriptors: Science Instruction, Cognitive Ability, Academic Ability, Cognitive Development, Science Education, Quasiexperimental Design, Pretests Posttests, Thinking Skills, Program Effectiveness, Learning Disabilities, Mathematics Skills, Writing Skills, Reading Skills, Correlation, Scores, Standardized Tests, Foreign Countries, Achievement Gains, Middle School Students, Longitudinal Studies
Australian Science Teachers Association. P.O. Box 334, Deakin West, ACT 2600, Australia. Tel: +61-02-6282-9377; Fax: +61-02-6282-9477; e-mail: publications@asta.edu.au; Web site: http://www.asta.edu.au/resources/teachingscience
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Middle Schools; Secondary Education; Junior High Schools
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Australia
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A