| Does seriously discussing philosophical and religious problems with adolescents benefit or merely confuse them? The question dates back to the writings of Plato in the Republic, where Socrates discouraged the practice. Arguments for and against the teaching of philosophy to adolescents appear in the writings of numerous educational theorists. The American Philosophical Association maintains a standing subcommittee on Pre College Philosophy but has also written on the perils of such teaching.;This study resulted from a curiosity about the effects an intellectually demanding high school philosophy course might have on high ability adolescents. For several years, the researcher had received very positive feedback on a high school philosophy course he has offered for high ability students, but had also wondered what many of the students meant when commenting that the course "changed the way I look at things.".;In an attempt to measure what these students meant, a pilot study was completed on the 1991 philosophy class at a large suburban Florida public high school. Measurement of self concept, psychoepistemologica1 style and critical thinking skills suggested that these measures might encompass at least some aspect of changes the students were mentioning.;The 1992 study suggested, however, that the apparent change in philosophical reasoning often mentioned by students in journals or class discussions might not be accurately measured by the range of instruments selected for these studies (Tennessee Self Concept Scale, Psychoepistemological Profile and Cornell Critical Thinking Test, Level Z).;This study lays a groundwork for additional attempts to measure what cognitive and personality variables are involved when high ability adolescents volunteer that they "no longer look at things the same way" after having completed an introduction to philosophy course designed for them. |
