شبكة المعلومات العربية التربوية

The present study aimed to identify the differences in deductive reasoning among a sample of students from the College of Science at king Khalid University, according to the variables of gender, academic level and specialization. The Lawson scale for scientific reasoning test was used, which consists of (24) items of multiple choice, administered to the study sample which consisted of 384 students from the College of Science at King Khalid University in Abha. The sample was comprised of (192) male students and (192) female students, with (96) students in the sample drawn from each academic level year and specialty. The results showed that there were no statistically significant differences between male and female students in deductive reasoning. The results showed also that there were significant differences in deductive reasoning between the different academic levels (first, second, third, fourth). A Tukey statistical follow-up test was used, showing that these differences could be ascribed to the statistically differences among the first of the academic level year and each of the third and the fourth year in favor of the third year and fourth year. Fourth year students scored higher than the first year students, while second, third, and fourth year students had scored higher than the first and second year students; yet, there were no statistically significant differences between the first and second study level. The results also showed that there were differences in deductive reasoning scores of the students that could be attributed to specialization; the Tukey statistical follow-up test showed that the differences attributable to specialization (Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, Biology) could only be detected between Mathematics and Biology in favor of mathematics. The results also showed that there was no interaction between these variables. The study proposed further research and studies on deductive reasoning in Saudi universities as related to a number of other variables not investigated in the present study. (Published abstract)