Thinking fast and slow and science education

Abstract

In recent years there has been growing evidence that even after teaching designed to address the learning difficulties dictated by literature, many physics learners fail to create the proper reasoning chains that connect the fundamental principles and lead to reasoned predictions. Even though students have the required knowledge and skills, they are often based on a variety of intuitive reasoning that leads them to wrong conclusions. This paper studies students' reasoning on science problems through heuristic - analytical thought processes (System 1 - System 2). System 1 operates automatically and quickly with little or no effort and no sense of voluntary control, while System 2 focuses on the demanding mental activities that require it and is slow based on rules.