Cognitive diagnostic models can uncover students' mastery of multiple fine-grained skill attributes or problem-solving processes. A number of studies have applied cognitive diagnostic models to detect students' knowledge mastery in mathematics and language testing. However, few studies focus on cognitive diagnostic assessment in K-12 science…

The purpose of this study was to identify the underlying cognitive attributes used during the design and development of science-based serious educational games. Study methods rely on a modification of cognitive diagnostics, item response theory, and Bayesian estimation with traditional statistical techniques such as factor analysis and model fit…

This study developed an empirically based questionnaire to monitor young learners' conceptions of nature of science (NOS). The questionnaire, entitled Students' Ideas about Nature of Science (SINOS), measured views on theory-ladenness, use of creativity and imagination, tentativeness of scientific knowledge, durability of scientific knowledge,…

Intense focus on student achievement results in mathematics and science has brought about claims that K-12 teachers should be better prepared to teach basic concepts in these disciplines. The focus on teachers' mathematics and science content knowledge has been met by efforts to increase teacher knowledge through funded national initiatives…

Forming a science-oriented identity is considered a process underlying both interest and achievement in science education. A questionnaire is developed for describing "identities as learners" and evaluating their science orientedness. The instrument (k = 65) focuses on cognitive aspects. An internal coherence of .88 was found. Five…

The purpose was to determine levels of cognition in instructional objectives as inferred from test items selected in Language Arts, Natural Science and Social Science teacher-made tests. A random sample of 153 tests used as final examinations was studied (grade level of the tests was unspecified). From these tests 50 percent of 3,291 test items…

Some of the results of the first-round testing in science of the National Assessment of Educational Progress are mentioned. (DT) Aspect of National Assessment (NAEP) dealt with in this document: Results (Overview).

In this study 126 high school students were administered the Karplus Island Puzzle and interviewed individually to determine if the puzzle measured Piagetian-type operational thinking. Results indicated that the puzzle did not characterize an individual's cognitive level. (SL)

Students' own preconceptions are often resistant to change. According to researchers, conceptual conflict is an important factor in conceptual change; however, there is not enough evidence showing any relationship between cognitive conflict and conceptual change in the literature. This study aims to develop and validate the Cognitive Conflict…

In this study, the effect of different definitions of concavity on students' understanding was investigated. Students enrolled in the calculus-II course in the science and engineering faculties in Anadolu University, Turkey were divided into two groups and each group was given a different definition of concavity. At the end of the study, both…

Clarifies the difference between the Piagetian Conservation of Liquid Quantity task and the Conservation of Volume task and provides an alternative test for the presence of formal operational thought. (JR)

Twenty-three high school biology students using the Biological Sciences Curriculum Study (BSCS) Blue Textbook were administered a weight conservation and two volume conservation tasks. A majority performed below formal-operational level, indicating that these students would be likely to encounter difficuluty with BSCS Blue Version materials. (MLH)

This study investigates the effects of adapting elementary science instruction to students' entering achievement levels on three dependent variables: (1) performance on tests of science content knowledge; (2) mastery of lesson objectives; and (3) attitude toward science. Subjects were 235 sixth graders from four elementary schools in a small,…

Reported is a study related to a Project on an Information Memory Model in which the performance of children living in two different cultures (Libyan and American) was compared on two problem solving tasks to investigate cultural differences in memory information processing. One task was the chemical bodies experiment studied by Piaget and…