Cognitive conflict management module and its effect on cognitive development and science achievement

Abstract

Infusing higher order thinking skills in science learning has become pivotal to face the challenges for a knowledge-based economy in the 21st Century. Despite a great deal of emphasis on teaching thinking, science teaching tends to be content oriented. The aim of this study was to develop a cognitive conflict management module (CCM) to be infused into CASE. This study employed a pre and post-test quasi experiment non-equivalent control group design that involved 130 participants from Form 2 (Grade 7) at a secondary school in Negeri Sembilan Darul Khusus, Malaysia. Three teaching method were compared in this study namely module CCM to be infused into CASE (module A), CASE without CCM (module B) and conventional teaching method in learning science. All participants were classified as non-formal operational on the pre-test were allocated to one of the four intact groups: experimental EP1 group received the module A intervention while experimental EP2 group received the module B intervention, or became either two control groups. The impact of the three teaching method on the level of cognitive development and science achievement were observed after a 20 week intervention. Three instruments were administered in this study, i) Science Reasoning Task, ii) Science Achievement test and iii) Cognitive Conflict Test. The last instrument was administered as a diagnostic test in subject's level of cognitive conflict for the experimental EP1 group only. The validity and reliability of all the instruments were also established. Analyses of data employed were inferential statistics MANOVAIMANCOVA, ANCOVA and paired samples t-test.