Cognitive Preferences of Jewish and Arab High School Students who Studied an Inquiry Oriented Biology Curriculum for Several Years

Abstract

Jewish and Arab biology majors in their last year of high school in Israel responded to a Biology Cognitive Preference Inventory. Comparison of mean scores and intercorrelations revealed high similarity between the Jewish and the Arab samples either when the unit of analysis was the individual student or the school. Similar patterns of relations between cognitive preferences and achievement as well as several background variables were also revealed. It was. concluded that in spile of substantial cultural and home differences the study of inquiry oriented biology curriculum for four years in high school apears to have significant effects on the cognitive style relating to the information processing orientation of students. They become oriented towards fundamental principles and critical questioning rather than towards memorisation of facts.