This study was mainly concerned with the predictor of the piagetian cognitive levels of An Yang Girls High School Students from the following seven predictor variables:
(1) science achievement;
(2) field-independent/field-dependent cognitive style;
...
This study was mainly concerned with the predictor of the piagetian cognitive levels of An Yang Girls High School Students from the following seven predictor variables:
(1) science achievement;
(2) field-independent/field-dependent cognitive style;
(3) intelligence quotient;
(4) age;
(5) verbal score;
(6) mathematic score;and
(7) high school class rank.
The Burney Logical Reasoning Test was used as an instrument for the determination of the Piagetian cognitive levels of the students. Science achievement was measured by administering the Sequential Test of Educational Progress (Science From IA).
Fidle-independent/field-dependent cognitive style was measured by the Group Embedded Figures Test.
The sample used for this study consisted of 100 girl students selected randomly from 12th grade of the An Yang Gils High School, An Yang, Korea.
Three statistical methods were utilized to treat the data:
(1) the Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient;
(2) the stepwise method;and
(3) the Tukey jackknife cross-validation.
The findings of this study demonstrated that:
(1) only 31 percent of the sample was found to work at the formal operational level;
(2) the intelligence quotient, math score, science achievement, and field-independent/field-dependent cognitive style were correlated very significantly (P<0.01) with the Piagetian cognitive levels;
(3) a subset of the predictor variables including intelligence quotient, math score, and high school class rank was selected by the stepwise method to be included in the prediction equation of the Piagetian cognitive developmental level;
(4) the predictive validity determined by the corrected cross-validation R-square of the stepwise prediction equation was found to be 0.202.
In general, the findings of this study imply that substantial percentage of the 12th grade girl students belong to the cognitive level lower than formal operations. Therefore the school administrator should encourage faculty members to understand the cognitive levels of their students and develop curriculum which might enhance students' cognitive development. On the basis of the findings in this study, it seems to be necessary to place more emphasis on science curricular activities of science and mathematics and to help students become field-independent in their cognitive style in order to promote their cognitive development.
Prediction equation developed in this study can be used in predicting the Piagetian cognitive levels of 12th grade girl students by employing readily available predictor variables.