Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Is developing scientific thinking all about learning to control variables?

Deanna Kuhn1, David Dean

  • 1Teachers College, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA. dk100@columbia.edu

Psychological Science
|November 3, 2005
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Spirituality and Religiosity in Adults With Head and Neck Cancer: A Scoping Review of Concepts, Measures, and Outcomes.

Oral diseases·2026
Same author

Tooth Loss and Oral Health-related Quality of Life in a Sub-cohort Within the Chronic Graft-Versus-Host Disease Consortium.

Transplantation and cellular therapy·2026
Same author

A Novel Precision-cut lung slice stretch model using removable inflation materials.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2026
Same author

Osteonecrosis of the jaw as a possible adverse effect of tocilizumab.

Oral surgery, oral medicine, oral pathology and oral radiology·2025
Same author

Investigating climate change through argumentation: Purposeful questioning supports argumentation and knowledge acquisition.

Journal of experimental psychology. Applied·2025
Same author

Examining the value realization of ecological agricultural products in China: A tripartite evolutionary game analysis.

Journal of environmental management·2025

Guiding academically low-performing students to focus on one factor in investigations improved their scientific reasoning skills. This suggests a new approach to facilitating scientific thinking development in young learners.

Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Development
  • Science Education
  • Scientific Reasoning

Background:

  • Research on scientific reasoning often emphasizes controlling variables.
  • The development of scientific thinking in students is a key area in education.
  • Understanding how to facilitate scientific reasoning is crucial for academic success.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the impact of focusing on a single factor during inquiry on students' scientific reasoning.
  • To explore how this strategy influences the use of other scientific thinking skills.
  • To propose implications for the development and facilitation of scientific thinking.

Main Methods:

  • Academically low-performing sixth graders participated in an inquiry activity.
  • Students were given a specific suggestion to focus their investigation on a single factor.

Related Experiment Videos

  • The study observed the students' use of scientific reasoning strategies, particularly controlling variables.

    • Main Results:

    • The suggestion to focus on a single factor significantly impacted students' strategy use.
    • Students demonstrated an increased ability to control the variation of other factors.
    • This strategy appears to be linked to a deeper understanding of scientific inquiry.

    Conclusions:

    • Focusing on a single factor can be an effective method to develop scientific reasoning skills.
    • This approach may facilitate the development of scientific thinking in ways not previously emphasized.
    • Educational strategies should consider guiding students toward focused inquiry for better scientific understanding.