Report on Dialogue Piaget 1

Student

Cognitive

level

Evidence from dialogue

Explanation

Amira

2A -Early

concrete

Only recognises direction (‘hotter → faster’)

Perceptual (hot/cold, fast/slow)

Qualitative (hotter → faster)

Sensory and experiential; perceives single variables; no quantification.

Observational, descriptive understanding of cause and effect.

Ben

2B -Late

concrete

Functional (weak/strong acids)

Implies frequency, not probability

Simple direct link (‘double strength → twice as fast’)

Begins rule-based reasoning; introduces simple proportionality, without formal modelling.

Chloe

3A -Early

formal

Differentiates variable types (temp, concentration, surface area)

Graphical model (concentration–time graph)

Recognises some collisions are successful

Notes rate decreases as reactants used

Can interpret data and graphs; begins formal linking of variables. Generalise patterns and use formal representations.

Daniela

3B -Late formal

Expresses proportional laws (rate ∝ [A], rate ∝ [A][B])

mentions half-life, decay, dynamic balance

Uses abstract, symbolic, and probabilistic representation. Is able to integrate variables into a formal model of causation