FORMAL OPERATIONS IN UNIVERSITY STUDENTS FROM DIFFERENT PROFESSIONAL AREAS:
A COMPARATIVE! ANALYSIS
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to compare the performance
on Longeot's Échelle de Développement de la Pensée Logique (EPL),
especially at the formal level of first and last year students of Psychology,
Physical Education and Physics of the University of São Paulo. This interest
was based on theoretical issue raised by Piaget in 1972 and by other
authors as well as on the results of previous studies which showed that the
majority of 15 and 16-year-olds were classified at the pre-formal level on Longeot's scale. The present research was intended to verify the influence
of professional specialization on the mental operations of the subjects. The
analysis of the results showed that the content of the three courses under
investigation did not influence the manifestation of formal structures by the
subjects. The students entered the university with different levels of
development of thought, though age was not a factor. Male subjects
performed better than female, however. Based on the results, conclusions
are offered with respect to Piaget's operational theory, the EPL as an
instrument for evaluating operational thought, and the cognitive and
educational implications.
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