Linking Instruction and Assessment in Science: Science Learning Opportunities and Student Performance on a Set of Open-Ended Science Questions (original) (raw)
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Development and Validation of a Science Inquiry Skills Assessment
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This paper reports on the development and validation of a science inquiry skills assessment for Earth science (iSA-Earth Science) in middle schools that classroom teachers can use to assess and monitor their students' science inquiry skills. An assessment framework with six primary inquiry skills, each with three to six subskills, was developed based on a comprehensive review of the literature and following the recommendations of the National Science Education Standards (NSES; NRC, 1996) and A Framework for K-12 Science Education (FSE; NRC, 2012). The six primary skills are: (1) identify questions for scientific investigations, (2) design scientific investigations, (3) use tools and techniques to gather data, (4) analyze and describe data, (5) explain results and draw conclusions, and (6) recognize alternative explanations and predictions. The assessment development and validation process followed guidelines from the Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing (American Educational Research Association [AERA], American Psychological Association [APA], and National Council of Measurement in Education [NCME], 1999). Psychometric analysis using both classical test statistics and Item Response Theory showed the instrument was internally consistent, reliable, and did not function differentially for male and female students. Implications for science education practice and research are discussed.
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Educational Assessment, 1997
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National efforts have described the need for students to develop scientific proficiency and have identified informal learning environments, interactive technologies, and an understanding of inquiry as ways to support this development. The Habitat Tracker project was developed in response to this need by developing a digitally-supported, inquiryoriented curriculum focused on engaging elementary students in science practices in formal and informal settings. This study employed a mixed methods approach to explore how engagement in the project affected 125 fourth and fifth grade elementary students' views of scientific inquiry and if certain aspects of scientific inquiry were shaped by student participation. The Views of Scientific Inquiry-Elementary School Version (VOSI-E), was administered before and after students had engaged with a three week Habitat Tracker curriculum and assessed aspects including the role of questions, diversity of methods, experiments and investigations, developing scientific explanations, supporting scientific explanations, predictions and hypotheses, role of subjectivity, role of creativity, and goal of science. VOSI-E responses were analyzed using a mixed methods approach. Chi-squared test results suggest that classroom learning coupled with visits to a wildlife center can help improve student understanding of scientific inquiry when integrated with technologyenhanced, field-based inquiries that emphasize the practices of science.
Journal of Research in Science …, 2008
Contextualizing science instruction involves utilizing students' prior knowledge and everyday experiences as a catalyst for understanding challenging science concepts. This study of two middle school science classrooms examined how students utilized the contextualizing aspects of projectbased instruction and its relationship to their science learning. Observations of focus students' participation during instruction were described in terms of a contextualizing score for their use of the project features to support their learning. Pre/posttests were administered and students' final artifacts were collected and evaluated. The results of these assessments were compared with students' contextualizing scores, demonstrating a strong positive correlation between them. These findings provide evidence to support claims of contextualizing instruction as a means to facilitate student learning, and point toward future consideration of this instructional method in broader research studies and the design of science learning environments.
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2000
Effective instruction related to nature of science (NOS) and scientific inquiry (SI) require teachers to develop a knowledge base as well as purposeful intentions to address NOS and SI within classroom instruction. Project ICAN: Inquiry, Context, and Nature of Science, an NSF-funded teacher enhancement project, aims to enhance teachers' abilities to improve students' understanding of NOS and students' understanding of, and ability to perform SI, within a context of standards-based instruction. In its fourth year, 58 teacherparticipants participated in the project that included three phases with the following sequence: summer orientation, monthly academic year workshops, and a three-week summer institute. Questionnaires, video-taped lessons, lesson plans, instructional materials/assessments, classroom observations, and student achievement comprised the data for examining the teaching and learning of NOS and SI. Participants demonstrated major enhancements in their understandings and their classroom applications of NOS as demonstrated in gains in their students' views. This report focuses on a case study of the knowledge and progress of a grades 1-2 teacher and the subsequent learning of her students. The particular reason for focusing on this case study is the continuing debate about the developmental appropriateness of NOS and SI outcomes for early elementary level students.
Journal of Educational Psychology Studies, 2016
The aim of this study was to develop a reliable and valid test to measure students' conceptual understanding in science course of eighth grade and investigate the relationship between conceptual understanding and academic performance in science among eighth grade students. The research method is descriptive that performed via survey. The study population consisted of all secondary school eighth grade students in the academic year 2015-2016 in Darab city. Using multi-stage random sampling method, 396 students, including 189 girls and 187 boys were selected. To collect data, a tool called Eighth Grade Science Conceptual Understanding Test (EGSCUT) was made in collaboration with eighth grade science teachers. It consists of 15 multiple-choice questions that have been prepared according to the eighth grade science book. To evaluate the test questions, difficulty level and discrimination index was calculated. And to check the TEST validity, content validity, CVR (0.59) and confirmatory factor analysis were used. The results showed that the test is valid enough. The test reliability using internal consistency, Kuder Richardson 20 and split-half obtained 0.86 and 0.83 respectively. The result showed that “Eighth Grade Science Conceptual Understanding Test (EGSCUT)” was appropriate to assess conceptual understanding in science among eighth grade students and has required validity and reliability. As a conclusion, conceptual understanding of eighth grade students in science can be accessed via assessment of their ability to apply and use knowledge. In addition, results showed that there is a significant positive relationship between academic performance and conceptual understanding of science. When students learn content conceptually, they can apply them in new situations and respond appropriately to different questions. The aim of this study was to develop a reliable and valid test to measure students' conceptual understanding in science course of eighth grade and investigate the relationship between conceptual understanding and academic performance in science among eighth grade students. The research method is descriptive that performed via survey. The study population consisted of all secondary school eighth grade students in the academic year 2015-2016 in Darab city. Using multi-stage random sampling method, 396 students, including 189 girls and 187 boys were selected. To collect data, a tool called Eighth Grade Science Conceptual Understanding Test (EGSCUT) was made in collaboration with eighth grade science teachers. It consists of 15 multiple-choice questions that have been prepared according to the eighth grade science book. To evaluate the test questions, difficulty level and discrimination index was calculated. And to check the TEST validity, content validity, CVR (0.59) and confirmatory factor analysis were used. The results showed that the test is valid enough. The test reliability using internal consistency, Kuder Richardson 20 and split-half obtained 0.86 and 0.83 respectively. The result showed that “Eighth Grade Science Conceptual Understanding Test (EGSCUT)” was appropriate to assess conceptual understanding in science among eighth grade students and has required validity and reliability. As a conclusion, conceptual understanding of eighth grade students in science can be accessed via assessment of their ability to apply and use knowledge. In addition, results showed that there is a significant positive relationship between academic performance and conceptual understanding of science. When students learn content conceptually, they can apply them in new situations and respond appropriately to different questions.