Cognitive Preferences in Agriculture of Middle‐School Students and their Teachers‡

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Abstract
English A special cognitive‐preference inventory dealing with agriculture was developed, validated and administered to 943 middle‐school students and their teachers. This is the first reported study of cognitive preferences of 7th and 8th grade (12 to 13 year‐old) students. The inventory was found to be a valid and reliable measure of cognitive preferences related to agricultural topics studied in Israeli schools. Preference for application (A) was found to be negatively correlated in different students with either recall (R) or principles (P) or critical questioning (Q). Studying the ‘new’ agriculture compared with the ‘old’, resulted in a lower preference for R and a higher preference for A. Female students had, on the average, a higher preference for R and P while males tended to prefer A and Q. Children whose fathers were simple workers had the highest preference for R while children whose fathers were academics had the lowest preference for R. Teachers, when compared with their students, had a much higher preference for P and a much lower preference for R. A close correspondence was found between reported emphasis in classroom tests and the cognitive‐preference modes of teachers.

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