Using Rasch to Explore Students' Understanding of Energy: A Modeling-Based Intervention Study

• In Event: Rasch Modeling: Methodology and Application

Abstract

This study reported on the validation of an assessment instrument that was developed to measure high school students’ understanding of energy while engaging in modeling-based instruction. The instrument development was guided by three types of knowledge: descriptive, mechanistic, and structural. Over three days of implementation, 140 students participated in the study. Rasch analysis techniques were used to validate the instrument and develop support materials (i.e., Wright Map) that can be useful for the interpretation of student performance. The analysis was performed to determine the match between the difficulty of assessment items and the students ability (performance) and revealed that overall, the items focusing on mechanistic knowledge appeared to be difficult to answer. Implications for researchers and practitioners were discussed.

Authors

• Ayca Karasahinoglu Fackler, The University of Georgia

• Daniel K Capps, University of Georgia

• Jonathan Todd Shemwell, The University of Alabama