Designing and Validating a Climate Change Knowledge Instrument

• In Event: 72.049 - Roundtable Session 34
  In Roundtable Session: 72.049-3 - Climate Science Learning Technologies and Assessments

Abstract

The purpose of this work was to design an assessment that measures climate change related content knowledge and to explore the validity and reliability of the measure with middle school students. Climate change has steadily become more relevant for students and teachers due to its inclusion NGSS. Yet this is a science topic that is complex and challenging topic to learn and teach as alternative conceptions abound. Currently there is no instrument available to measure climate change knowledge that is both appropriate for middle and high school students and has been empirically established as reliable. This proposal aims to share the development process for the Climate Change Assessment and to examine it through psychometric analysis using classical test statistics.

Authors

• Andrea Drewes, University of Delaware

• Wayne Breslyn, University of Maryland

• J. Randy McGinnis, University of Maryland

• Chrystalla Mouza, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

• Joseph A. Henderson, University of Delaware

• Emily E. Hestness, University of Maryland