This work is the fourth of a series of papers applying multidimensional item response theory (MIRT) to widely used physics conceptual assessments. This study applies MIRT analysis using both exploratory and confirmatory methods to the Brief Electricity and Magnetism Assessment (BEMA) to explore the assessment's structure and to determine a…

This study is designed to test a reciprocal causation, cross-lagged model of self-concept, self-efficacy, and achievement in a postsecondary STEM course. Both self-efficacy and self-concept are known to be related to achievement; however, there is a need to untangle the relationship between the two constructs as well as their association to…

This paper presents results from a randomized experimental design replicated over four semesters that compared students' performance in understanding landform evolution processes as measured by the pretest to posttest score growth between two treatment methods: an online interactive simulation tool and a paper-based exercise. While both methods…

In this paper we present a series of item response models of data collected using the Force Concept Inventory. The Force Concept Inventory (FCI) was designed to poll the Newtonian conception of force viewed as a multidimensional concept, that is, as a complex of distinguishable conceptual dimensions. Several previous studies have developed…

The aim of this study was to cross-culturally investigate the instructional efficacy of the Common Knowledge Construction Model (CKCM) with college students learning about "factors affecting solubility" focusing on students' conceptual understanding, attitudes and scientific habits of mind. Even though the CKCM is a decade old, there has…

This Communication summarizes one of the invited papers to the Select 2016 BCCE Presentations ACS CHED Committee on Computers in Chemical Education online ConfChem held from October 30 to November 22, 2016. The ConfChem paper (included within Supporting Information) focuses on the results of one instructor's incorporation of social media into her…

This tutorial addresses possible sources of confusion in interpreting trait scores from the bifactor model. The bifactor model may be used when subscores are desired, either for formative feedback on an achievement test or for theoretically different constructs on a psychological test. The bifactor model is often chosen because it requires fewer…

Comprehension of geologic time does not come easily, especially for students who are studying the earth sciences for the first time. This project investigated the potential success of two teaching interventions that were designed to help non-science majors enrolled in an introductory geology class gain a richer conceptual understanding of the…

The goal of the Department of Biological Sciences faculty was to evaluate how effectively our undergraduate biology program supports the goals and intended outcomes of our department and institution. Student responses in written assessment tests have provided the foundation of this evaluation. Each semester questions were selected by a…

Describes and compares physics students' understanding of concepts associated with electric and magnetic fields using interviews and written tests. Provides insights into a more detailed view of students' understanding of fields using the theoretical framework of the Structure of the Observed Learning Outcome Taxonomy. (Author/MKR)

This book contains a compilation of papers presented at the International Conference on Education and New Developments (END 2017), organized by the World Institute for Advanced Research and Science (W.I.A.R.S.). Education, in our contemporary world, is a right since we are born. Every experience has a formative effect on the constitution of the…