This study provides a solid validity inferential network to guide the development, interpretation, and use of machine learning-based next-generation science assessments (NGSAs). Given that machine learning (ML) has been broadly implemented in the automatic scoring of constructed responses, essays, simulations, educational games, and…

At a conference on educational physics, someone described a series of multiple-choice problems to test students' ideas about various mechanical phenomena. One of the problems questioned students' conceptions about the shape of the Earth's orbit in the solar system. The question was as follows: "Which of the following schematic illustrations…

Many undergraduate chemistry students hold alternate conceptions related to resonance--an important and fundamental topic of organic chemistry. To help address these alternate conceptions, an organic chemistry instructor could administer the resonance concept inventory (RCI), which is a multiple-choice assessment that was designed to identify…

International large-scale assessments (ILSA) are an important source of information for education policymakers across the globe. Despite sponsors' warnings, when results are published, media attention focuses on country rankings and changes in scores. Score changes are evaluated using a two-sided z-statistic, with statistical significance declared…

Students and educators often face time constraints, making it essential to develop interventions that are both easy to implement and have a substantial impact on learning and performance. One promising strategy is retrieval practice, particularly in the context of physics education, where many students struggle with basic knowledge. Prior research…

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 Flanders, open admission into higher education has led to heterogeneity in academic preparedness of incoming STEM students. Higher education institutions offer low stakes positioning tests to these students in order to help them assess their level of starting competences. Due to the unique nature of these tests, little can be inferred about…

Examinations are a significant source of academic stress, particularly in the demanding environment of medical education. In order to reduce the burden of anxiety, burnout and depression among students, medical schools aim at reducing academic stress by exploring alternatives to frequent, high-stakes assessment schedules. The bundling of…

This study investigates the performance of GPT-4, an advanced AI model developed by OpenAI, on the force concept inventory (FCI) to evaluate its accuracy, reasoning patterns, and the occurrence of false positives and false negatives. GPT-4 was tasked with answering the FCI questions across multiple sessions. Key findings include GPT-4's…

This study focused on the relationships between teacher characteristics and students' mathematics achievement in EU countries, including Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, Malta, Slovenia, Sweden, and Turkey, which are the only EU countries participated in TIMSS 2015 at the eighth-grade level. The data consisted of the sample of 31,969 eighth-grade…

While national curricula in science education highlight the importance of inquiry-based learning, assessing students' capabilities in scientific inquiry remains a subject of debate. Our study explored the construction, developmental trends and validation techniques in relation to assessing scientific inquiry using a systematic literature review…

Previous research has indicated that attitudes influence various factors contributing to scientific achievement. Inadequate performance in science can limit career opportunities, underscoring the importance of comprehending how attitudes towards science can enhance overall scientific achievement. This study explored the mediating effect of…

Concept inventories are commonly used tools in physics education research (PER) for evaluating teaching methods. Student responses to concept inventories have been studied using classical test theoretical methods such as factor analysis and network methods such as module analysis. The results of these studies have been used to evaluate the…

Student science proficiency development demands sustainable and coherent learning environment support. Scholars argue that project-based learning (PBL) is an efficient approach to promoting student science learning, compared to conventional instructions. Yet, few studies have delved into the learning process to explore how a coherent PBL system…

When individuals' attention shifts away from the primary tasks they are involved in, their minds start to wander. This mental phenomenon, also known as mind-wandering, can interact with other variables and affect the performance of academic tasks. The current study focuses particularly on the mind-wandering (MW) of Omani students while they were…