The use of the selection task as an instrument for teacher education: a preliminary experimental research

This paper presents a pilot experiment using the selection task in order to explore its potential to favour deductive reasoning learning. For this purpose, a teaching sequence has been designed as follows: in pre- and post-tests, pre-service teachers (students in education) were asked to solve both abstract and thematic versions of the selection task. In the control training, a video has been used to explain the expected solutions according to classical logics, while in the experimental training the video also illustrates the potential consequences in the school context. Furthermore, a questionnaire has been addressed to participants in order to detect their expectations about the sequence and their perception of the methodology courses offered at university. Results indicate that most participants of both conditions have developed correct solutions in the post-test. Students of the experimental condition have judged more positively the teaching sequence and have expressed a stronger interest for methodology courses. An additional semi-structured interview has been conducted in order to collect further suggestions about the implemented teaching activity. The study indicates different epistemological perspectives in using the selection task as a useful tool for teaching and reasoning, as well as implications for the university methodology courses.

, 2017