Syllogistic Reasoning Ability and Academic Performance of Master’s Degree Students in a South-South Nigerian University
[1]
Cornelius C. Okoro, Department of Educational Foundations, Guidance and Counselling, University of Uyo, Uyo, Nigeria.
[2]
Unwana-Obong D. Uyanga, Department of Educational Foundations, Guidance and Counselling, University of Uyo, Uyo, Nigeria.
The aim of this prospective case study was to determine the relationship between M.Ed. students’ syllogistic reasoning ability and their performance in an educational psychology course. Subjects in the study comprised all the 159 Master’s degree students in education who wrote the 2011/2012 Psychology of learning (EDU 612) examination. Two instruments—the semester examination for EDU 612 and a test on syllogistic reasoning downloaded from the internet—were used to obtain data and three research questions were generated and converted into null hypotheses to direct the conduct of the study. The results showed that there was no significant difference due to gender in the syllogistic reasoning ability as well as the performance of the students in Psychology of Learning. Also, the students’ syllogistic reasoning ability did not significantly influence their performance in Psychology of Learning. The implications of these findings for the teaching of reasoning skills and general education were critically analyzed and suggestions for the inculcation of reasoning skills advanced.
Syllogistic Reasoning, Academic Performance, Psychology of Learning, Nigeria
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