The Verbal and Nonverbal Reasoning Skills of Grade 12 Students in Camp Vicente Lim integrated School

Abstract

INTRODUCTION

The demand for globally competitive students who can successfully deal with the growing complexity of this world is increasing over the years. But for them to be globally competitive, global competence must first be developed—which encompasses the knowledge and skills, students need in the 21st century. These includes the verbal and nonverbal reasoning skills that enables individuals to visualize and solve problems. Thus, the researcher was intrigued to know if the Grade 12 students are fully prepared for college and take on the challenging approach towards solving intractable problems.

METHODS

The study utilized the descriptive-comparative method. It determined the verbal reasoning skills of Grade 12 students in terms of reading comprehension, analytical reasoning, and logical reasoning; whereas, as for the nonverbal reasoning skills the foci will be on terms of abstract reasoning, spatial reasoning, and diagrammatic reasoning. A total sample size of 115 Grade 12 students were chosen using GPower, following the stratified random sampling technique. For the instrument, a self-structured test which contained questions obtained from different sources were made and validated by the faculty experts. Frequency and percentage, mean percentage score, and t-test were the statistical treatments applied to the research data using SPSS 23.

RESULTS

The level of the respondents' verbal reasoning in terms of reading comprehension was below the standard, as well as their analytical and logical reasoning results. Additionally, the level of the respondents' nonverbal reasoning skills in terms of abstract reasoning, spatial reasoning, and diagrammatic reasoning were also low. More importantly, it was found that there was a significant difference between the verbal and nonverbal reasoning skills of the respondents. Thus, the researchers conducted and proposed a program of activities that may further enhance the respondents' verbal and nonverbal reasoning skills.

DISCUSSIONS

The results ofthe study indicated that the verbal and nonverbal reasoning skills of the respondents are not fully developed. Furthermore, it shows that their verbal reasoning skills was higher than their nonverbal reasoning skills. This is, because nonverbal reasoning skills are not taught in school as a separate area of discipline since in most schools, teachers typically discuss their lectures through oral or written instructions and only seldomly use visual images. Additionally, it is also not commonly utilized in many examinations because most of the items are written in words.