Previous studies noted the scantiness of diagnostic instruments for the assessment of students' understanding of fundamental biochemistry concepts. Consequently, within this study, a four-tier test for the examination of secondary school students' conceptual understanding of amino acids, proteins, and enzymes has been developed. Items in the test…

General chemistry is often the first course taken by students interested in careers in STEM and health fields, and therefore, is considered an essential course for the success and retention of students in these fields. Prior studies have shown study habits and skills to be related to student performance in college-level courses, including STEM…

This study explores the use of artificial intelligence in grading high-stakes physics exams, emphasizing the application of psychometric methods, particularly item response theory, to evaluate the reliability of AI-assisted grading. We examine how grading rubrics can be iteratively refined and how threshold parameters can determine when…

This study examines the feasibility and potential advantages of using large language models, in particular GPT-4o, to perform partial credit grading of large numbers of student written responses to introductory level physics problems. Students were instructed to write down verbal explanations of their reasoning process when solving one conceptual…

The Regulations of the Commissioner of Education provide that an intermediate-level science test is to be administered in Grade 8 to serve as a basis for determining students' need for academic intervention services in science. The New York State Grade 8 Intermediate-Level Science Test consists of two required components: a Written Test and a…

The aim of this study is to develop a valid and reliable achievement test on the subject of 'Basic Compounds in the Structure of Living Things'. During the preparation of the draft form of the test, a 32 item-question pool was created by the researchers in the light of the relevant literature. Then, these questions were presented to expert opinion…

The Regulations of the Commissioner of Education provide that an intermediate-level science test is to be administered in Grade 8 to serve as a basis for determining students' need for academic intervention services in science. The New York State Grade 8 Intermediate-Level Science Test consists of two required components: a Written Test and a…

In this study, we evaluate the validity of question 29 (Q.29) in the Force Concept Inventory (FCI), which requires an understanding of atmospheric pressure. At least in some Japanese physics classes, the rate of the correct answer to Q.29 is reduced between the pretest and post-test. To examine this deterioration of a student's response, we…

In this research, we have explored the possible differences in students' performance in grade nine chemistry exams that could have been influenced by a different instructional approach in grade eight. We compared two groups of students: one group had received a transmissive propaedeutic approach in grade eight (especially related to the memorising…

The purpose of this study is twofold: (1) to develop and validate a three-tier diagnostic test on work, power, and energy (WPE) concepts and (2) to identify Turkish pre-service science teachers' conceptual understanding through this test. The Work, Power, and Energy Concept Test (WPECT) was developed through interviews, read-aloud sessions, and…

So far, instruments to measure genetic literacy that encompass global genetic issues are limited. In addition, instruments that assess practical knowledge and comprehensively evaluate genetic literacy skills have yet to be developed. Therefore, this research aimed to develop, validate, and improve an instrument based on a new conceptual framework…

This study aimed to develop a two-tier light concept test to identify student concept understanding of light. The development of the test was carried out through the content validity, construct validity, and reliability test stages using the Item Response Theory (IRT). The sample consisted of 81 students during the second semester at five…

Community college students come from a variety of backgrounds and have different levels of educational preparedness compared to undergraduates in 4-year undergraduate schools. Historically, retention rates of these students in human physiology courses have been low, often due to non-passing grades. Incorporation of additional active learning…

Across the field of education research there has been an increased focus on the development, critique, and evaluation of statistical methods and data usage due to recently created, very large datasets and machine learning techniques. In physics education research (PER), this increased focus has recently been shown through the 2019 Physical Review…

Deep science understanding is reflected in students' ability to use content and skills when making sense of the world. Assessing deep understanding requires measuring complex constructs that combine elements of content and skills. To develop valid measures of complex constructs, we need to understand how their theoretical dimensionality, reflected…