Neo-Piagetian Predictors of Students’ Performance in Science Learning: Evidence from Primary Education

This study explores primary school pupils’ knowledge recall and interpretation skills regarding chemical and physical phenomena, in relation to three psychometric variables: logical thinking, field dependence/field independence, and divergent thinking. The participants (N = 375) were in the fifth and sixth grades (aged 11–12) taking an introductory course in science, and they were involved in three tasks related to combustion, dissolution, and mixture separation. The pupils had to complete an instrument, in which they were asked to describe and interpret the phenomena involved in the tasks. Two achievement variables were recorded separately, one relating to knowledge recall and the other to the interpretation of the phenomena. In addition, the participants completed the corresponding psychometric tests. Correlational and multiple linear regression analysis showed that the dependent measures were associated with the cognitive variables, while path and mediation analysis showed the direct and indirect effects of the neo-Piagetian constructs on the dimensions of knowledge and interpretations. The main implications of the findings are theoretical and concern the role of the operationalized mental resources in learning the specific subject matter. Moreover, the results inform teaching practices and curricula designs, and they point out the learning difficulties ascending from the individual differences under study. Further discussion on conceptual change is provided.