• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.503-516
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• 1998

The purpose of the present study was to evaluate some variables, such as learner's cognitive characteristics and a training-program emphasized proportional logic, in proportional reasoning development. Seven hundred and ninety students in junior high schools were enrolled as subjects for the study which investigated learner's cognitive characteristics in proportional reasoning development and asked to perform tests of logical thinking, card sorting, planning, mental capacity, cognitive style, brain lateralization, information processing pattern and scientific reasoning. In addition, one hundred and thirty-three students who failed to solve proportional thinking items were administered a training program which has been applied to improve the subjects' proportional reasoning skills. The results showed a significant higher correlation between subjects' performance score on proportional thinking test, and their age and scores on scientific reasoning test, mental capacity, information processing test and perseveration errors on card sorting test. Also, the training program applied in this study showed an effective result in developing subjects' proportional reasoning skills. Further, this study may serve as a suggestion in the efforts to investigate factors of proportional thinking development and a contribution for the future research in other logical thinking development.