Role of domain‐general reasoning ability and domain‐specific knowledge in students' ability to solve geographical problems

Abstract

This study investigates the role of domain‐general reasoning ability and domain‐specific knowledge in students' ability to solve decision‐making problems in geography. The study was conducted with 178 ‘O’ level geography students in Singapore. Four tests were administered: a Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT), a Concept Structure Analysis Task (ConSAT), a Knowledge‐Base Unit Test (UT), and a Decision‐Making Test (DMT). A 2 × 2 analysis of variance revealed significant main effects for general reasoning ability and domain knowledge on students' performance in the decision‐making test, but no significant interaction effect. Students with high general reasoning ability and high domain knowledge also performed significantly better on the decision‐tasks. Research findings suggest the need for Singapore schools to achieve a balance in the teaching of content and the teaching of strategies in the geography curriculum.