This study investigated the multiple-choice test of understanding of vectors (TUV), by applying item response theory (IRT). The difficulty, discriminatory, and guessing parameters of the TUV items were fit with the three-parameter logistic model of IRT, using the parscale program. The TUV ability is an ability parameter, here estimated assuming…

Testwiseness is defined as the set of cognitive strategies used by a student that is intended to improve his or her score on a test regardless of the test's subject matter. Questions with elements that may be affected by testwiseness are common in physics assessments, even in those which have been extensively validated and widely used as…

In a recent study, the 30-question Force Concept Inventory (FCI) was theoretically split into two 14-question "half-length" tests (HFCIs) covering the same set of concepts and producing mean scores that can be equated to those of the original FCI. The HFCIs require less administration time and reduce test-retest issues when different…

In this article we present several modifications of the mechanical waves conceptual survey, the most important test to date that has been designed to evaluate university students' understanding of four main topics in mechanical waves: propagation, superposition, reflection, and standing waves. The most significant changes are (i) modification of…

This research aimed at evaluating pre-service science teachers' understanding of the subject matters such as "thermochemistry, chemical kinetics, chemical equilibrium, acids and bases and electrochemistry". For this purpose, a two-tier diagnostic test consisting of 44 items ([alpha] = 0.84) related to the aforementioned concepts was…

This study better research aimed King-Dow Su at strategic applications for exploring students' learning performances with conceptual understanding and algorithmic proficiency by problem-solving maps and six major learning activities. A quasi-experimental method was employed to detect the outcomes of students' compared intervention, together with…

This article addresses the issue of language-related construct-irrelevant variance on content area tests from the perspective of systemic functional linguistics. We propose that the construct relevance of language used in content area assessments, and consequent claims of construct-irrelevant variance and bias, should be determined according to…

The purpose of this study was to apply two types of Differential Item Functioning (DIF), net and global DIF, as well as the framework of Differential Step Functioning (DSF) to real testing data to investigate measurement invariance related to test language. Data from the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA)-2006 polytomously scored…

We describe the construction, validation, and testing of a concept inventory for an "Introduction to Physics of Semiconductors" course offered by the department of physics to undergraduate engineering students. By design, this inventory addresses both content knowledge and the ability to interpret content via different cognitive…

It was planned to introduce online pre-laboratory session activities to a first-year undergraduate physics laboratory course to encourage a minimum level of student preparation for experiments outside the laboratory environment. A group of 16 and 17 year old laboratory work-experience students were tasked to define and design a pre-laboratory…

The purpose of this investigation was to determine if attending a face-to-face midterm exam review with the instructor predicts final exam performance in an Anatomy and Physiology I course. Students were invited to attend office hours in small groups to review their midterm exams. Multiple linear regression was used to test whether attendance at…

Medical students have difficulties in interpreting two-dimensional (2D) topographic anatomy on sectional images. Hands-on and no hands-on training in ultrasound imaging facilitate learning topographic anatomy. Hands-on training is linked with active search for patterns of anatomical structures and might train pattern recognition for image…

In England, there is a growing need to improve the attainment in, and attitudes towards, science among disadvantaged secondary school pupils. This project was designed to support disadvantaged year 11 pupils (age 15-16) by pairing them with an undergraduate STEM student mentor throughout the final year of their compulsory science General…

A flipped-classroom environment generally strives to create more in-class time for activities that enhance student learning, while shifting some content delivery to outside the classroom through the use of short didactic videos. We compared a flipped-classroom setting with the traditional ("control") setting for an accelerated…

In this study, we sought to examine the influence of a 12-week design-based elective Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) course on pre-service chemistry teachers' content knowledge, STEM conceptions, and engineering and engineering design views. To attain the goals determined, we utilized five STEM activities starting with a…