This study deals with the effects of games on the development of analytic thinking and problem solving skills in young children. Eight tasks were constructed, based on Guilford's Structure of the Intellect (SOI) model and following an SOI analysis of the games used in the Program. These tasks were administered on a post-only basis to Grade One project and comparison groups. Analysis of variance demonstrated that the project group significantly out-performed the comparison group on two of the eight activities, suggesting improvement in the cognitive operation of Evaluation. The methodology, discussed in detail in this exploratory study, will be useful in future studies.
References
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Coleman, J.S., LearningThrough Games--A New Approach to Problem-Solving. Washington, D.C.: Public Affairs Press, 1969.
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Tucker, J.A., Southwest Educational Development Laboratory's Thinking and Reasoning Curriculum in Terms of Guilford's Structure of Intellect Model of Intellectual Functioning , Austin, Texas, 1974.
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Tucker, J.A., Classifying Thinking and ReasoningGames by Structure of Intellect Operations. Report toSouthwest Educational Development Laboratory, Austin, Texas. 1974.
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Meeker, Mary Nacol, The Structure of Intellect: Its Interpretation and Uses. Columbus, Ohio: Charles E. Merrill Publishing Company , 1969.
