The College of Basic Education at the University of Mosul discussed a PhD dissertation entitled “The Effectiveness of an Educational Program Based on Cognitive Flexibility Theory in the Acquisition of Scientific Concepts in Science among Fifth-Grade Primary School Pupils and the Development of Their Coordinative Thinking” on Wednesday, July 1, 2026, in Umm Al-Rabeein Hall at the college.

The dissertation, presented by Mr. Ali Ghassan Abdulqader, focused on designing an educational program based on Cognitive Flexibility Theory and implementing it with fifth-grade primary school pupils. The study examined the program’s effectiveness in promoting the acquisition of scientific concepts and developing pupils’ coordinative thinking by comparing the performance of the experimental group, which was taught using the proposed educational program, with that of the control group, which received instruction through the conventional teaching method.

The dissertation produced several significant findings, most notably the existence of statistically significant differences in both the acquisition of scientific concepts and the development of coordinative thinking in favor of the experimental group. These findings demonstrate the effectiveness of the educational program based on Cognitive Flexibility Theory in enhancing pupils’ understanding of scientific concepts and improving their coordinative thinking skills. The study also emphasized the importance of integrating the theory into science teaching at the primary school level and recommended incorporating the program into classroom practice, as well as organizing professional training programs for teachers on its effective implementation.

The examination committee was chaired by Professor Dr. Raed Idris Mahmoud and included Professor Dr. Wafaa Younis Mahmoud, Professor Dr. Kifah Mohsen Abdullah, Professor Dr. Amal Fattah Zaidan, Assistant Professor Dr. Ziad Badr Hamed, and Assistant Professor Dr. Bushra Khamees Mohammed, who also served as the dissertation supervisor.

Media and Government Communication Division
College of Basic Education
University of Mosul