Abstract

The purpose of this chapter is to review the literature on cognitive acceleration with a view to unravelling potential theoretical explanations for the success of the intervention. Cognitive Acceleration through Science Education (CASE) was the first of the cognitive acceleration (CA) suite of programmes developed at King’s College, London to improve students’ abilities to reason and think. Published as Thinking Science (Adey, Shayer, & Yates, 2003), the school science intervention programme has accumulated evidence on the effects, both on students’ cognitive development and school achievement. Drawing from Piagetian developmental psychology and socio-cultural Vygotskian psychology, the CA programmes are accompanied by a long-term professional development programme for teachers.