Using Many-Facet Rasch Model to Examine Student Performance on Contextualized Science Assessment

• In Event: 15.059 - Fairmont Royal York Roundtable Session One
  In Roundtable Session: 15.059-1 - Students' Integrated Multidimensional Science Learning Through the Next Generation Science Standards

Abstract

This study investigated three aspects of the contextualized science assessment: the setting of the context, the situation of the scenario, and focus of the question. We designed multiple-choice item clusters and collected data from 16 middle-school classes. A many-facet Rasch model was applied. Results indicate that the item cluster with the everyday life plus technology setting and that with experiment setting are significantly more difficult than that with pure everyday life setting. Items with Slow down and Speed up situations are significantly more difficult than those with At rest and Constant speed situations. It seems the items focusing on explanation are more difficult than focusing on description, but not significantly; Requiring students to recognize answers from diagrams increases the difficulty.

Authors

• Xiaoming Zhai, University of Georgia

• Maria Araceli Ruiz-Primo, Stanford University

• Min Li, University of Washington

• Dongsheng Dong, University of Washington - Seattle

• Klint Kanopka, Stanford University

• Philip Hernandez, Stanford University

• Jim Minstrell, FACET Innovations