Validating an Assessment for Tracking Students' Growth in Understanding of Energy from Elementary School to High School

Autor/inn/en	Hardcastle, Joseph; Herrmann-Abell, Cari F.; DeBoer, George E.
Titel	Validating an Assessment for Tracking Students' Growth in Understanding of Energy from Elementary School to High School
Quelle	(2017), (10 Seiten) PDF als Volltext kostenfreie Datei Verfügbarkeit
Zusatzinformation	Weitere Informationen
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Monographie
Schlagwörter	Energy; Elementary Secondary Education; Science Instruction; Test Construction; Scientific Concepts; Concept Formation; Multiple Choice Tests; Elementary School Students; Middle School Students; High School Students; Test Validity; Statistical Analysis; Student Evaluation; Item Analysis + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Energie; Teaching of science; Science education; Natural sciences Lessons; Naturwissenschaftlicher Unterricht; Testaufbau; Concept learning; Begriffsbildung; Multiple choice examinations; Multiple-choice tests, Multiple-choice examinations; Multiple-Choice-Verfahren; Middle school; Middle schools; Student; Students; Mittelschule; Mittelstufenschule; Schüler; Schülerin; High school; High schools; Oberschule; Studentin; Testvalidität; Statistische Analyse; Schulnote; Studentische Bewertung; Itemanalyse
Abstract	Energy is a critically important topic in the K-12 science curriculum, with many applications in the earth, physical, and life sciences and in engineering and technology. To meet the challenges associated with teaching energy, new tools and assessment instruments are needed. In this work we describe the development of a three-tier assessment instrument designed for measuring students' understanding of energy at basic, intermediate, and advanced levels. Using a bank of 372 multiple choice items targeting 14 different key energy ideas, three assessment instruments were created to test each of the three levels. These instruments were pilot tested with elementary, middle, and high school students and results were analyzed using Rasch modeling. Our findings show that by using linking items the three instruments form a common scale, allowing items and students to be compared across forms. Each instrument was found to contain items with suitable difficulties for students with a range of understandings of energy. Together these instruments form a reliable tool for measuring the growth of students' understanding of the energy concept as they progress from elementary school to high school. (As Provided).
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2020/1/01