Many countries have structured their educational systems based on Jean Piaget’s stages of cognitive development. However, Piaget also emphasized that development is influenced by culture and that the age ranges for cognitive stages may vary across different cultural contexts. Therefore, it is essential to understand the developmental stages of children within a specific country before designing educational levels, developing instructional materials, or implementing teacher training programs. Otherwise, the quality and effectiveness of a country's educational system may be compromised. This study investigated the cognitive development stages and scientific reasoning characteristics of children aged 7 to 11. The sample consisted of 45 students, divided into five age groups. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and observation forms. The interview questions were based on two thought experiments from the social sciences. A total of 90 interviews were conducted, and 765 responses were analyzed using a qualitative data analysis program. The results indicated that all age groups exhibited the four types of scientific reasoning—abductive, inductive, deductive, and hypothetico-deductive—in varying frequencies and proportions. Additionally, the preoperational stage was found to persist until age 9, and the absence of clear indicators of the concrete operational stage suggests that it may begin around that age. Based on these results, recommendations are provided for the structuring of educational practices.
Tunalı et al. (2025) studied this question.
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